When Worlds Collide
by Goddess001
Summary: What happens when someone from another dimension decides to drop in on the X-men? Who is she related to and what news does she bring? Can anything else possibly happen with all these other things going on? Of course, this is the X-men! Please RR
1. To New Beginnings

When Worlds Collide

By: Goddess001

_Author's Note_: This story is based on the Uncanny X-men comic, but you will recognize other X-men sources as well.

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any of these characters expect for the ones I have made up.

"You know, I don't think that we've had a good game of mutant-ball in a long time," Bishop said setting his feet down on the coffee table in the recreation room.

Ororo Munroe was flipping through the latest issue of _People Magazine_, for the third time, and Jean Grey was lazily twirling a strand of her bright red hair on her finger. She was staring blankly out the window, which was reflecting a sunny day without a cloud in sight. Jean nodded her head in agreement, but didn't say anything out loud.

"You know he's right!" Sam Guthrie responded, opening the window that Jean was looking through. His smile broadened as he looked past Storm and Jean to the doorway.

Logan leaned against the frame, a baseball glove in one hand with the baseball itself being thrown up and down in the air. He caught it with ease. He displayed his trademark grin, his wolfish teeth gleaming. "So what are we going to do about it?"

…

"It's the bottom of the ninth, two outs! Scott's team leads by a run. Looks like a close game folks, but Storm's team seems to be putting up a fight!"

"She ain't giving up just yet Shadowcat!"

There was laughter in the background before the announcers spoke again. "That was Ms. Jubilation Lee and I'm Kitty Pryde, joined by-"

"Iceman, formally known as Bobby Drake! Now that's have a recap shall we? For the home team, Scott is at third base, Jean at second, and Colossus at first."

Jubilee grabbed the microphone, sticking out her tongue. "For the visitors, Bishop is covering first, Sage has second, and Storm covers third. Outfield is Wolverine in right, Cannonball center, and Beast has left. Go Wolvie!"

"The game now rests on the shoulders of the pitcher- did I ask for a drum roll?" Kitty looked behind her shoulders to glare at Iceman who was shadow drumming in the background. He was so into it that he didn't notice Jubilee hit him on the head with the nearest paper she could find. Kitty laughed. "Rogue!"

"With the charming Remy LeBeau up to bat, this should be one exciting game!" Jubilee said scooting up closer to watch.

From the field, Rogue brushed her hair over her shoulder flashing the sexiest smile she could muster. "Ya know Swamp Rat, you should just give this up. You're already going ta lose!" To emphasize her point, she gripped the ball harder and was getting rid to throw one of her best pitches.

"I don know chere," Gambit said grinning just as wide. "You might be in far a surprise." The audience watched as the bat he was gripping began to glow a bright orange-yellow color. This was a game of mutant-ball and they were ready to use their powers to their advantage. "Let's see what happens eh chere?"

Rogue scowled at the batter, but suddenly stopped in her tracks when the sky clouded over. "What's going on? There was supposed ta be sunshine all day!"

"Ah!" Storm dropped her baseball glove, falling to her knees. Her hands cradled her head and she began rocking back and forth.

"Ro!" Wolverine yelled, running to third base to catch her. Jean and Scott had also dropped their gloves and were running to see what was the matter. Storm was screaming so loud that Logan had to cover his ears because of his hypersensitivity. The winds were howling and the sky was becoming darker by the second.

"Jean! What's going on?" Scott asked, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the wind. She shook her head but looked up in the sky when a black, swirling cloud appeared in the middle of the growing storm.

There was thunder and lightning and all of a sudden and shape fell from the sky and was dropping at a continuously fast rate. "Cannonball!" Jean screamed mentally. The figure was moving too fast for her to catch with her telekinesis. Sam Guthrie nodded and sped off to catch whatever was falling.

As quickly as it started, the storm ended. Ororo was passed out on the ground, with Henry McCoy standing over her. He was busy checking her pulse as Cannonball landed safely on the ground with the figure he had caught. Jean and Scott ran over to him and as soon as Wolverine knew that Storm was safe, he jogged over to them as well.

The baseball game had obviously ended a long time ago. "Something always has to interrupt our one chance at having a normal game of-"

"Of what, mutant-ball? How normal can that get?" Jubilee asked Iceman who was sitting back in his chair with his feet propped up. She nodded to Kitty and the both left the announcer's box and went out to the field to see what was going on.

Sam knew that it was a woman he caught. She was light, but her cloak was covering almost her entire body. The black hood hid her face from view and the length concealed the rest of her body as well. He was bending down to put her gently on the ground when something caught his eye.

"Sam what is it?" Jean asked out of breath. His eyes moved up to her face, but something was different about him. His skin pale and he looked like he was shaking. "Cannonball?" she asked again, now with an uneasy tone.

"She's an X-men," he said, his voice trailing off. Everyone that was standing around them looked down at the body he was still bent over. There was something shiny on her cloak that caught everyone's eye. They diverted their attention to that sole piece of clothing. It was an X with a circle around it. Their signature symbol, but who was she?

…

"I'm not going! I can't leave you here by yourself!" she said, begging the woman next to her to listen. The woman had her back to her, she looked like she was busy typing in codes into a computer. But anyone could tell that she was only busying herself to get her mind off the problem at hand.

"You have to go, and you know that I will not be by myself. I have your father and I have my family. We'll never be by ourselves," she said turning to grab the girl's face. She held it gently in her hands and she smiled lovingly at her.

Tears were streaming down her face. She shook her head over and over again. "I can't. They- they won't understand. What am I supposed to do? What do I tell them?" she asked, her eyes filled with confusion. There was something else there as well. It was something like fear.

"Take this with you," the woman said handing her a dark cloak that had the X-Men symbol on it. "Wherever you go, they will know what to do. I promise you that they will help as long as you carry this symbol with you." The woman reached around her neck and took off her chocker that also held a small, red X-Men symbol on it. "And take this, so that you don't forget me." She smiled up at her.

"Mother, please listen to me. I can help you here, if I leave…if I leave I won't even know where I'm going! Why are you doing this? The others aren't even thinking about it! Please let me stay with you, I'm begging."

The mother shook her head again. She was still smiling. "I love you daughter. Remember that. I trusted Forge when he built this machine. He knew what he was doing. You'll have a better life wherever you're going. Here, there is nothing for you. You will only die."

"Please, don't do this. How many times will I have to ask?"

"I am only going to say this once my daughter. I will not see you die at their hands! I want you to live. I want you to have a life, one that I didn't have. I want you to go knowing that you don't hate me," she added quickly.

"I could never hate you mother, you know that. I love you," her face softened and for once she smiled. She didn't try to stop her as her mother pushed her into the portal. She didn't try to stop crying either as she watched her mother's face disappear forever.


	2. Recognition

Part II

Ororo Munroe was the first person to wake up. She moaned softly, quickly moving her hand to her head, which was pounding very loudly. She slowly opened her eyes, but hissed as the bright medical light shone in her face.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice husky and dry. She tried to lean up on her elbows when someone's strong hands pushed her back down. Ororo squinted and looked up at the person who was standing above her. "What happened?"

Beast smiled at her and pulled one of the chairs closer to sit next to her bed. "I'm not really sure myself, but Jean and the Professor seem to think that it was something like a time rip. The sudden weather change is probably what affected you. We also think that was why you passed out was, it was unnatural."

Storm nodded, her eyes still closed. "That seems right. I did not understand what was going on at the time but now that you mention it, something was definitely wrong with that sudden weather change."

Beast shifted in his seat. "There was something else that happened."

Ororo opened her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Someone actually came out of that time rip. We're not sure who she is but she has the X-men symbol on her coat," Beast stood up and scratched his head. He was silent for a few seconds before continuing. His hands switched position and moved to hold his chin while he thought. "I think that she came from another dimension. She seems very familiar to me but I can't place it. It also makes sense once you think about it."

"Yes, since Jean and the Professor think that there was a time rip that would make perfect sense. Is she awake?" Ororo asked swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

Beast shook his head. "Now, now Ororo. You need your rest. I'm sure that the others and I will be able to handle her on our own."

"Yes, but I just want you to be careful. We have seen weirder things come out of time rips and we do not need another menace running around New York trying to take over the world yet again," she responded casually, lying back down on the infirmary bed.

Beast chuckled. "Yes you are right about that one. I'll let you rest before telling the others that you have woken up. I'll be back to check on you later."

"Thank you Henry," Ororo whispered before falling into another deep sleep. Hank smiled and closed the door quietly behind him. His head snapped in the opposite direction when he heard a scream coming from down the hall. It was coming from that room.

…

"Ah!" the girl screamed, her upper body rising out of the bed. Her face was covered in a cold sweat, her breathing irregular. It sounded like no matter how hard she tried she couldn't fill her lungs with the much-needed oxygen.

Logan was already sitting at her bedside. They were taking shifts watching the girl to make sure that when she woke up someone was there. It happened to be his shift when she screamed, sending him flying back in his chair.

"Hey, it's all right!" he said, getting up from the floor. He stood, lightly touching her shoulder. She flinched when he reached out. Her eyes quickly moved to take in the sight of Logan. She hadn't even noticed that he was standing there until he touched her. She began shaking, her eyes moving around the room to take in her surroundings.

Logan's hand hovered over her shoulder, his other hand hovering at the small of her back. He was unsure of what to do. He watched her gray eyes moving from object to object trying to make out where she was. Logan tried to say something else but her shaky voice stopped him. "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary," he responded but he shook his head when he realized that she wouldn't know where that was. "You're at the Xavier Mansion." He hadn't noticed that his voice actually sounded gentle. He didn't think that was possible anymore.

Her head turned to stare at him. Apparently she knew something about Xavier. With her cloak gone, the girl was only clad in a simple tank top and bottoms. Logan wasn't sure if she was shaking because she was cold or if it was because she was scared. "Um- are you cold? Uh here, let me get you a blanket," he said trying to divert his attention to something else besides the woman in the bed.

"Lo-Logan?" she asked, her voice now becoming steady. He spun around when he heard his name on her lips. He saw recognition in her eyes and she began to slow her breathing. He nodded his head moving back to her with blanket in hand.

She reached out to take it when Hank burst through the door. He saw the girl scream, brining her legs up to her chest and scooting closer to the headboard of the bed. She was again breathing heavily. "I'm sorry my dear. I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Henry McCoy but you can call me-"

"Beast?" the girl asked.

"Why yes, how did you know?" he asked moving closer to the bed.

"I didn't know what you looked like but I knew you're name was Henry McCoy. My mother was very fond of you. She used to tell me stories all the time about the adventures you had with the X-Men because I was too young to remember you," she spoke. As the seconds passed, the girl began to feel more comfortable around these two people.

"Who's your mother?" Beast asked before Logan could get the words out. He smirked. If Hank hadn't beaten him to the punch he would've asked her first.

"Sage."


	3. Secrets Revealed

Part III

The shock on Wolverine's face was priceless. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped about two feet. Beast was also surprised, but he suddenly started to smile. Logan went to the girl's bedside still unable to believe what he just heard. "Wait a second, did you just say that Sage was your mother?"

The girl nodded. Beast stepped in, still smiling. "I have just spoken with Ororo and we have come to the conclusion that this young girl here came out of a time rip. She probably came from another dimension where she knew all of us, simply different versions that's all," he explained, busying himself by checking her vital signs.

"You spoke to Ro? How is she?" Logan asked a bit off track.

"She's well, but she needs rest. That's why I didn't alert anyone that she was awake," Hank finished looking at the readings from the different machines that were cluttered around the girl. "Now, how do you feel? Does anything hurt, or feel different?"

She shook her head. "No, I think that I'm all right now. Being here just kind of scared me at first. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went through that machine that Forge built. No one was sure where we'd end up if we went through, so no one tried it. I thought that I was going to be thrown into some pre-historic dimension," she laughed, very relieved.

Logan moved to the other side of the bed. "Well since you already know us, we should get to know you. What's your name?" he asked offering his hand for her to shake.

"Phoenix and I'm pretty sure you're Logan," she replied smiling and shaking his hand.

"Your name is Phoenix?" he asked, slightly confused. She nodded her head.

"Wolverine, maybe you should notify everyone that _Phoenix_ has woken up. I'm sure everyone has questions that would liked to be answered," Beast said filling the awkward silence that had filled the room.

He nodded and stepped quietly out of the room. Logan wasn't one for taking orders, but he didn't have a problem removing himself from that odd situation. He stalked down the hallway towards the War Room. He needed to alert the X-Men.

"I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" Phoenix asked looking up at the blue doctor that was tending her. Beast shook his head but remained quiet. So unsure of herself, Phoenix remained still and silent with her hands in her lap. She fidgeted with her fingers, her mind racing with things that she'd done wrong. She was supposed to be asking them for help not pissing them off.

Looking around her environment, as Beast occupied himself with the computers on the other side of the infirmary, Phoenix evaluated her situation. She figured that this world didn't seem as bad as the one she was born into, so if she could survive that than she could survive anything.

"Phoenix, I'm sorry I was just running some tests," Beast said finally paying attention to the girl in the med lab bed. She nodded her head but remained quiet. She was going to ask him what kind of tests he was running, but she thought it best to let him finish. "Do you think you could walk?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, I think that we should move into the Briefing Room where we can talk in the open that way you don't have to answer the same questions over and over again. I'm sorry if you think that we're treating you like a prisoner that we've going to interrogate," Beast said helping Phoenix out of bed. She stumbled once but the feeling in her legs returned with the support of Henry McCoy.

"It's all right. I was actually expecting worse so I'm pretty happy to be here," she replied still leaning heavily onto Beast. They reached the elevator and he reached around her to push the button. They stood waiting as the rushing sound of the elevator coming down to get them filled their ears. "I would do the same thing if I were in your position."

Beast smiled, happy to know that she understood what was going to happen. With that, the elevator door opened and they stepped in.

…

Wolverine had gathered the X-Men in the War Room to tell them the news. "Well, I just got word from Hank that the girl's awake. I'm pretty sure he's gonna bring her up here so she can answer all our questions," Logan stated his arms folded across his chest.

Jean Grey and Scott Summers were seated side by side, holding hands. She nodded her head but contacted Hank to make sure he didn't need any help. She nodded and opened her eyes to look at everyone else in the room.

Ororo's seat was empty, no one wanted to take the seat of the second-in-command. Sage sat to Ororo's right and Bishop at her left. Cannonball was leaning against the wall nearest Wolverine and then there was Kurt who sat in his usual seat, speaking to himself softly in German. Kitty, Jubilee and Bobby were waiting outside the door, one of the girls biting her nails. Rogue was seated next to Jean and Gambit couldn't stop pacing the floor. Colossus sat calmly next to Scott. He seemed to be the most levelheaded one of all.

"Hank wants us to meet in the Briefing Room. He's taking her there," Jean said already standing up. "I contacted him telepathically," she replied immediately so that she didn't confuse anyone as she walked past Logan to the room on her right.

Everyone followed suit, too many questions running through their heads. They were greeted with the sight of Henry and the girl, who was already seated at the head of the table with her hands back in her lap. The only thing different was the blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders.

"Everyone," Hank began, waiting for everyone to take their seats so that they could get started. "I'd like you to meet my new friend, Phoenix."

…

The room remained eerily silent. The air was thick with confusion, unanswered questions, doubt and suspicion. Finally, someone decided to talk. "It's all right Phoenix just tell them what you told me," Beast whispered.

"Well, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"I have a question," Bishop spoke, leaning against the long, rectangular table. "How in the world did you get here?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Phoenix started.

"Well we've got all the time in the world," Wolverine interrupted from beside her. He was leaning against the wall like he was in the War Room. There was just too much energy in him to sit still for a long time.

"Forge built a machine that would transport us from dimension to dimension. It was supposed to be a time travel machine so that we could fix what was happening in our world, but Moira McTaggart was helping him and they 'accidentally' created something totally different. You didn't know where you were going, so know one had the nerve to try it out. Besides, there was no way to get back."

"That sounds a lot like Forge," Scott added with a slight smile to his face.

Bishop nodded but continued with his question. "So why did you try it then?"

"In our world, mutants are treated like slaves," Phoenix lowered her head. She had to stare at her hands so that no one could see the tears well in her eyes. "It started with the assassination of President Kelly. They knew it was a mutant and when they found out, all hell broke loose. They arrested all the mutants in the Mutant Registration Program and they were always looking out for those that walked around unknown."

"That's awful," Rogue murmured in a low voice.

"They started here," she whispered looking up at everyone sitting at the table.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"I wasn't born yet so I don't know. I didn't grow up in the Xavier Mansion but my mother did. I know all about Professor Xavier," Phoenix replied, finally showing her smile. It really changed her whole face to see her happy.

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you but he's away on business. He'll be back soon though," Jean responded reaching across the table to take one of her hands. Phoenix had placed them on the table after talking about the mansion. "I have a question. Why is your name Phoenix? That used to be-"

"Your codename," she finished, still smiling. Phoenix took a deep breath, but Wolverine's sensitive hear caught the hitch in her throat. "In my world, you died before I was born. I do know your daughter though, Rachel Summers. She's taken your old codename of Marvel Girl," she said obviously remembering a close friend.

Scott and Jean exchanged glances, but their eyes shone. In another world, they had a family. Logan didn't say anything but he lowered his head. He'd come to realize that he could never have Jean Grey no matter how hard he tried. He told himself that he was over her, and he actually was. It was just weird to see how even in other worlds, the fates were against him. It made him grin.

"My mother was pregnant with me when you died. She grew close to you because you were both pregnant together, so you could relate. She told me that when you died, she promised to name me after you because she wanted me to take on your qualities as a person. You sacrificed yourself for the good of the X-Men. She thought that was very noble," Phoenix answered, the tears making her eyes shine against the light.

"Can you tell us more about your world?" Cannonball asked. His hand came behind his head to scratch at the back of his neck. He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I mean, do you know what's happened to the rest of us?"

"She shouldn't have to answer that," Sage said, her arms holding her body. She hadn't said anything the entire time.

"Why not? She told us what happened to Jean and if it's as bad as I think it is, I'm sure that she's better off that way!" Cannonball replied, spitting venom.

"Hey! Knock it off you two!" Cyclops shouted, using his leader voice.

"I don't mind," Phoenix said quietly. "They started taking mutants and putting them in prisons. They had to wear collars to restrict their powers or else the guards would have been overpowered. When they were too full, the government had to think of something else. They created an island where the most useful mutants could be put to work. They still wore the collars but there was something different. They had to use their powers to do their work, so when the collars would shut down there was a sort of back-up system."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"If the mutants tried to use their powers to get away, then all the guards would have to do is push a button and the mutant would be injected with a serum that would instantly kill them. The government didn't see it as an expense because all they had to do was transport another mutant to fill the job. We didn't know exactly how many, but we knew that it was common to find a handful of mutants dead a day," Phoenix replied.

"That's genocide," Rogue said, her hands spread out on the table. When she lifted them up, the sweat from her palms remained leaving an imprint.

"Not to them. They don't care," Phoenix stated moving her hands back to her lap. She shivered, but Hank pulled the blanket tighter around her. She smiled up at him, but continued. "After Professor Xavier died, things just got worse. The X-Men fell apart. With both of them gone, it was hard for anyone to concentrate fully on the task at hand. People started going their own ways," Phoenix turned her head and smiled at Rogue and Remy who were sitting next to each other. "You two left. We think back to Louisiana but no one knows for sure. My mother showed me a picture of you. She said that she always knew that you would end up together."

Rogue didn't turn to look at Gambit, but her gloved hand slid into his and he squeezed it.

Phoenix turned her head to look at the man next to her. "I didn't know you either Beast," he shook his head like he understood. "They executed you when President Kelly was murdered. He was going to pardon you, you were going to get out of jail, but the government wouldn't allow a mutant to go. That's partially what started some of the mutant riots and revolts. They were angry that they didn't stand by their words."

Phoenix turned to Scott. "After Jean died, my father told me that you changed. I always knew you to be assertive and aggressive but he told me that you were once sweet and understanding. That you weren't always ready to kill at the sight of the government officials and the guards at the mutant prisons. He told me that you used to be like Professor Xavier."

Wolverine snorted. "One-eye, being aggressive? I doubt it. He couldn't even kill a fly."

Phoenix shook her head at him but smiled anyway. "That's why my mother and father sent me through the portal. She told me that she wouldn't see me die at the hands of those people. So I left," she took a deep breath and finished. "And I ended up here."

Wolverine pushed himself up with his foot that was resting against the wall. "And tell us Phoenix, who is your mother?"

Beast eyed Logan from his spot at her left. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You don't have to answer that Phoenix," but his hypersensitive hearing could have heard it all the way down the hall, perfectly.

"I think that she has the right to know that as well."

Phoenix looked unsure at Wolverine but his eyes were black and cold. What had she done to make him so mad at her? While she was in the infirmary he had seemed so nice and kind, but then he changed. She closed her eyes. "Sage."

Sage looked up, her red glasses hiding the shock in her eyes. "What?"

Phoenix nodded. "Remember that cloak I had on when I first arrived? That used to be yours," she explained. Now that she said it, Sage noticed that the coat seemed familiar. There were a few changes, but it was definitely hers. "And then there's this," Phoenix continued, fishing around her pockets. She pulled out the chocker that her mother had given her before she left. Sage gasped and touched her neck. There, sitting on her perfect white neck was the chocker with the red X-Men symbol on it. She'd had it since she was a teenager. The Professor had given it to her when she first started.

"Wait a second, if I'm your mother then who's your father?"

"Bishop."


	4. Power Display

Part IV

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sage said standing up so fast that the chair she was sitting in fell back and hit the floor.

Henry McCoy stepped forward in between Sage and Phoenix. "She's absolutely right Sage," he said pulling some papers out of his lab coat pocket. He handed them to her, which she took calmly. She began to realize that she had overreacted to finding out that she and Bishop had created this girl sitting in front of her. "I ran some tests before we came here. I analyzed her DNA and I'm most definitely sure that she is your daughter. And yours too for that matter," Beast said looking over at Bishop.

Bishop stood up and looked at the papers with Sage but he was more composed than she was. "I didn't have any doubt. Phoenix just told us that she was from a different dimension so it's possible that you and I are married there," he said to Sage looking down at her small form.

"I know, it's just that that came to me as a shock," she replied. "I'm sorry Phoenix I didn't mean to upset you or overreact. I guess it's perfectly logical."

"It's all right."

There was a sudden burst there the door that startled everyone. "Hey, if you're Sage and Bishop's daughter you must have some pretty awesome powers!" Jubilee said coming from behind the door followed by Kitty and Iceman.

"Hey I tried to stop her," Bobby Drake said holding up his hands.

Kitty shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, we both tried."

Phoenix looked at everyone uncomfortably. "Well, I-I guess you could say that."

Jubilee interrupted her before she could finish what she was saying. "Do you think you could show us what you can do?" Wolverine growled in the background, which made Jubilee back down a little bit. "Or you could just tell us what your powers are…?" she said raising her eyebrows hoping to get something out of her.

Phoenix looked around at the other X-Men. "I don't know if I should, I mean-I've never used my powers to show off before," she admitted smiling at Jubilee.

"I'm kind of curious myself," Kurt said in his infamous German accent.

Phoenix shrugged her shoulders. "All right then," she replied closing her eyes. She was calm her breathing normal. No one wanted to say anything, but after learning that piece of news, everyone was interested in finding out what kind of powers this girl held. Suddenly the lights began to flicker. Wolverine looked up, taking on his usual stance before he popped his claws out.

The lights continued to flicker on and off and then there was a long, sharp beeping sound coming from the computer systems. Beast turned around and looked at the computer screen in front of him. There was a blinking curser in the right hand corner. The green light was flashing off of Beast's face and everyone could tell he was smiling. The words appeared on the screen right before his eyes.

"Hello Henry McCoy. It was a pleasure to meet you finally."

A red flashing light went off in the War Room, the intruder sound ringing in everyone's ears. "What the hell?" Scott said pushing from his chair followed by almost everyone else. Phoenix was still sitting patiently in the head chair. Beast watched as she opened her eyes. They were black, bottomless pits. There was no pupil, no light. Nothing. She smiled at him like she could see him perfectly.

Scott had reached the War Room but he almost fell over when he saw the face on the screen that greeted him. Logan had to smile at this. "Hey Cyclops!" the face said a bright smile on it. "I'm sorry but you asked for a demonstration of my powers," Phoenix said waving at Jubilee who was jumping up and down clapping in the background.

Back in the Briefing Room, Beast stood in front of Phoenix as her eyes returned to normal. She blinked a few times and then smiled again. "That was very impressive," Cannonball said returning to his seat at the table.

She shrugged her shoulders again and blushed a bit. "I've never done that before."

"Well I must say that no one has broken into the defense systems at the Xavier mansion before, but you just put it to shame!" Cannonball said slapping his knee.

"She's a cyberkinetic Sam," Jean explained. "She can control all computers not matter what kind of defenses there are. That really is something impressive Phoenix."

"Thanks," she replied.

Sage looked up at Phoenix considering her for a moment. "You know, after that, you could be my daughter. I have control and access to all global networks with my glasses," she said touching the red shades. "But it seems like you could do that without these."

Phoenix nodded but had to grin. "I've got a little of my dad in my too," she responded looking over at Bishop. "I can amplify my power to create an electromagnetic shield around myself, but I can't control it. So it happens spontaneously, usually in situations where I don't really need it."

"Yea, she's Bishop's kid all right," Logan said yawning. "Listen if we're finished playing around with the computers, I'm heading off to bed." He waved his hand to everyone before leaving the room.

"Sounds good to me," Jean replied. "We've all had an exciting day." Scott grabbed her hand to walk with her to their room but she stopped him suddenly remembering something that had slipped her mind. "I'm going to go check on Storm to make sure she's all right. Hank? Do you want to join me?"

"Yes I should. Phoenix," he said kissing the back of her had. "It was nice to meet you as well," he finished, smiling at her and then walking over to Jean Grey. He offered his arm, which she gladly slipped hers into.

Scott tugged at the nap of his neck watching everyone else file out of the room. "Well I guess it's just you and me. I can show you to your room if you want."

Phoenix got up from her chair, pulling the blanket even closer to her body. "Yes please," she nodded. "Thank you. Everyone around here seems so…polite."

"Yea well, you're our guest but if you stay here on a regular basis, well you'll get to see what's it's really like around here. Especially at eight o'clock in the morning," he teased pushing the elevator button. It chimed, and the doors opened.

"What do you mean on a regular basis?"

"Well, if you want to stay her permanently. You're an X-man Phoenix no matter which way you put it. We couldn't just turn you away, and besides, you are Sage and Bishop's daughter," he said opening one of the spare room doors. "Just imagine, this could be your room. I'm sure the Professor would want you to stay as well."

Phoenix let go of Scott's arm, walking into her room. There was a terrace, the sheer curtains moving from the soft night breeze. She smiled. She could get used to this. The bed looked to be king-sized and the other door led to a bathroom with a shower and a bath. The walls were plain but Phoenix wasn't one for a lot of clutter anyway.

"I'm not really Sage and Bishop's daughter. Well, at least not the ones you know. My parents are from a parallel dimension remember?" she asked.

"Yea, but still they're part of the X-Men in your time as well as mine so if you want to get technical about it, you are an X-Man. If you don't want to stay here at the mansion we'll understand but it would be nice to have you here Phoenix," Scott looked like he genuinely wanted her to stay.

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you Scott. I appreciate it."


	5. Training Day

Part V

Wolverine had just finished his second beer, but there still wasn't the buzz he was looking for. Giving up, he pushed his chair out, dropping his feet to the floor. The wooden table was scoffed, but Logan didn't pay attention to it. He walked to the trashcan and threw the empty beer can away.

Shrugging his shoulders, he figured that he mine as well go to bed if he wasn't going to get what he came down to the kitchen for. He climbed the stairs easily, two at a time. He was almost to his room when he suddenly stopped, smelling the air. He looked around and realized that he was stopped right in front of Phoenix's door.

Quietly knocking, he stood outside her door waiting for an answer. Maybe she was asleep. He was going to leave but his instincts told him to try the doorknob, and he always listened to his instincts.

Logan pushed the door open, hearing the slight creak. It was dark but his eyes quickly accommodated. He looked at her bed but didn't see anything under the sheets. He was going to leave when he heard her voice. "I'm out here."

He looked to the terrace. He couldn't see her but now that he knew where she was, his nose picked up on it immediately. Logan hesitantly closed the door behind him as he entered her room and proceeded to her terrace. The curtains moved past him, lightly brushing his skin. He spotted Phoenix out of the corner of his eyes.

She was curled tightly in a ball, sitting on one of the lawn chairs. She was staring at the moon. Logan looked up and realized what he had been missing. "It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked her voice as soft as a whisper.

"Yea," but his voice sounded indifferent. He looked to his right and saw a spare lawn chair. He sat down in it, sighing. His elbows rested on his knees, his back hunched over. He folded his hands together. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you-"

"I never saw the moon like this before," Phoenix interrupted. Logan paused, never have been interrupted like that before. She wasn't looking at him, but her head was still tilted up to stare at the sky. Her ebony hair shone, and her eyes sparkled. Goosebumps were forming on her arms, the little hairs standing up. She was only wearing her tank top with black shorts, her feet snuggled into fluffy white slippers.

Logan sighed again, getting up to get a blanket from the corner of her bed. He was going to wrap it around her shoulders when she shook her head. "You have to stop acting like this," she teased pushing the blanket away from her.

"You're going ta freeze ta death."

Phoenix again shook her head.

"What did you mean before?" he asked, settling back into his lawn chair.

"I just never noticed it. Not that anything has changed environmentally in my world, but I never got the chance to actually sit like this and stare at something so beautiful," Phoenix explained. It was hard for her to forget her world sometimes. Her parents were always on her mind, but it also scared her to she was getting adjusted to this new life of hers and she had only been in it for a couple of hours.

Logan wanted to get back on track so that he could leave this uncomfortable situation and go back to his room. Not that he could go to sleep, his nightmares were keeping him up, but he never had to explain himself to anyone before. With Phoenix he felt that he owed her something for acting like a jerk.

"Listen Phoenix I just came to tell you-"

"You don't have to explain anything," she finished again.

He ran his hand through his hair. "I feel like I have to though, for some reason. Just hear me out. I used ta-well I used ta be in love with Jean. When she was The Phoenix it was hard for me to accept that she wasn't in love with me but with-"

"Logan," Phoenix said finally turning her head to look at him. "It's okay. At least your Jean Grey came back to you in the end, mine didn't." She smiled at him, but diverted her eyes. "Thanks for sharing though."

"Don't tell anyone," he growled.

Phoenix wrapped her arms around herself tighter. "You know Scott wants me to stay here at the mansion. He says that everyone else would like to see me stay too. Is that true?"

Wolverine shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I don't know if I would be an asset to the team. I mean I can't use my powers to defend myself or anyone else," she said her voice trailing off.

"Don't worry about anyone else. You've gotta unique gift Phoenix," Logan said closing his eyes. He didn't know when he became so tired. "Some people have what I call offensive abilities and others defensive. I finally figured out that the X-men have a balance. That's what makes up the team. You can't have one without the other."

"Logan, will you teach me how to fight? I mean, my father taught me a little bit but if I'm going to stay here than I want to be able to protect myself if I get in that kind of situation," Phoenix asked sitting up in her chair. She noticed that he was asleep. What the hell? Was the Wolverine supposed to do that? She smiled and pulled the blanket from his hands and draped it over him.

"Goodnight."

…

Phoenix was wrapped up in the bed covers, the heat trapped between them. The doors to the terrace were still open, Logan still sleeping outside. He woke up, rubbing his eyes. Where was he? That was the first night he could remember not being woken up with images of the Weapon X project filling his mind.

He finally figured out that he was still on Phoenix's terrace. He remembered her asking if he would teach her how to fight, but after that it was all a blur. Logan threw off the blanket and walked into her bedroom, looking around for a clock. It was five in the morning. Well, nothing like getting a rude awakening, he thought as he threw the bed covers off of Phoenix.

"What the hell?"

"Time ta get up sleepy head. If you wanna learn how to fight than you're gonna have to follow my rules. Dress for a mornin' run," he said not waiting for an answer. He walked to the door, opened it and the just as quickly shut it without another word. Phoenix groaned and reached for her bed sheets. What had she got herself into?

…

Phoenix was already running late. Literally. She realized that she didn't have any new clothes and having to wake up Jean to borrow some was borderline embarrassing. She bounded down the stairs with the black and yellow jumpsuit, her hair tied nicely in a makeshift ponytail. Logan was already waiting.

"All right c'mon. We're going to run around the mansion four times. You better keep up," he said already halfway out the door.

Phoenix jogged behind him, catching up once they were out the door. "Wait a second, four times? How many miles is that?"

"About four, better keep up darlin'," he grinned running faster.

"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea!" she yelled. Phoenix sighed and began to run faster so that she could at least keep him in her line of sight.

About thirty minutes later, the cold air was beginning to burn against her face. She was breathing hard, her side producing a sharp pain. Phoenix finally had to stop. She had her hands on her knees, her eyes looking up to search for Logan. He had noticed that she stopped, so he turned around, still jogging in place. "C'mon Rookie, the sun's almost up. We've only got about a mile and a half left. Don't tell me you're gonna give up now."

Phoenix looked behind her to see the red and orange light barely creeping over the eastern skies. She shook her head. "No I'm not giving up. Just a little out of shape that's all. I needed a little break," she replied taking a deep breath before catching up to Logan.

Scott was already up cooking breakfast by the time Phoenix and her running partner came bursting through the kitchen door. She found the nearest chair and plopped herself down into it. She smiled at Scott when he handed her a bottle of water. "Went running with Wolverine already? And you've only been here a day! You should probably slow down," he teased, returning back to his scrambled eggs.

"Yea well we're going to have to considering she can't run four miles," Logan replied.

Storm came down the stairs from her attic loft. Henry and Jean released her last night, but she was ordered to stay in her room. "Scott you do not have to cook breakfast, I am perfectly capable of doing it."

"Doctor's orders Ro. Sorry," he said pulling out one of the kitchen stools so she could sit down. "Jean told me that you'd try to convince me to let you cook breakfast but I wasn't supposed to let you."

"I am not a child Scott and I am fine, really," Ororo turned her attention to the girl sitting in front of her. "I don't think that we have met yet, my name is Ororo Munroe."

Phoenix gladly took the hand that she offered. She smiled warmly at Storm. Even in this world she was exactly like the one she left behind. "I'm Phoenix Niles. It's nice to meet you. I-" she looked uncomfortably at the man cooking breakfast. He didn't seem to notice the situation. "Just came in last night."

"She knows Phoenix. Ro is second in command so she basically knows everything that I do," Scott yelled over the sizzling of the bacon and eggs.

Ororo considered for a minute. "Niles, the name sounds awfully familiar."

"Think about it Storm, it'll came to ya," Logan mumbled. "I'm going out for breakfast," he said looking over Scott's shoulder. He looked back at Phoenix, already walking towards the back door. "You'd be smart ta join me." With that, he exited the kitchen with something that sounded like a laugh when Scott started yelling.

"Tessa. Tessa Niles. That used to be Sage's name. It is a wonder I didn't think of it before," Ororo said smiling. "So it is true then. There really was a lot of excitement while I was down in the infirmary."

"You could say that again. Since you're already dressed for the occasion, I was wondering if you wanted to join us for a Danger Room secession," Scott mentioned to Phoenix. He automatically got out two plates, filled them with freshly cooked food and placed them in front of the two girls. He reached in the refrigerator and got out the orange juice, ready to fill up two glasses.

"Already Scott? You don't think that it is too soon?" Ororo asked. She covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Not that I don't think you could do very well in the Danger Room but the secessions that we do are usually very…well, very intense."

"It's all right. I couldn't run four miles, I doubt that I'm ready for a DR secession."

…

Two weeks later Phoenix saw herself in the Danger Room with the other X-men. She was literally shaking in her boots. Sage had lent her one of her uniforms, the black leather fitting nicely. Logan had already taught her a lot in that brief amount of time, but Phoenix still felt that she shouldn't be in the secessions with the actual X-men team.

"I'm so not ready for this."

Logan looked back at her. "Hey you'll do fine. Just stick close to the group and remember what I taught ya."

"Yes, I once had Wolverine as a teacher and I came out of the Danger Room without a scratch on me," Storm encouraged. "Besides, we are a team Phoenix and we won't let anything happen to you out there."

"It's only a simulation and the Professor is watching from above," Jean reminded. Professor Xavier had returned three days after Phoenix joined the group. He said that he would love to have her stay at the mansion for as long as she wanted.

_"I want to be sure that you're ready before you actually do field work. It's for your safety of course," the Professor had told her._

_"Of course, I completely understand. I just wanted to tell you that I am very grateful for all that you've done for me," Phoenix added._

_"How could I possibly turn you away?" he asked smiling up at her._

He gave her the codename Link. Everyone agreed that it was just right for her because she could "link" herself to computers. Phoenix liked the name herself.

Over the past couple of weeks she had really felt like she belonged. No matter what world she was in, they were her family. Jean, Ororo, Sage and Rogue took her shopping to buy new clothes and Jubilee and Kitty took her to see the latest movie with the cutest male star. Even the guys were treating her nicely. Bishop was acting like an overprotective father and Kurt was eager to talk to her about world religions. Logan was being as hard as ever and even Colossus played a friendly game of foosball with her.

"Are you ready X-men?" the voice above them asked. That drew her out of her little world, making her nervous all over again.

"I've got your back," Bishop said with Sage right behind him. "We all do."

She nodded. "Thanks."

The metal doors opened and the team walked in. Phoenix didn't notice that the room was literally an empty room. There was nothing in there but space. When she used to watch the Danger Room secession, the X-men were always in the heat of battle fighting some enemy she didn't know about. But now, actually being in the room, it felt different.

"All right, everyone get ready," the voice above them said. They heard a few clicking noises and all of a sudden they were thrown into a whole different scene. They were standing in the middle of a jungle. Phoenix would have taken the time to look at her surroundings, admiring how real it all looked but something stopped her. All of a sudden a few people screamed- Logan grunted- as they slid down a muddy slope. Phoenix was thankfully on her back so she could see where she was going. Jean created a forcefield around them as the hit the bottom. "Everyone okay?" she asked.

Jubilee stood up, shaking her hands at her side. "Yea, just bummed." She continued to wipe the mud off of her but no matter what she did her efforts were futile. The mud clung to her backside, making her groan in anger.

Phoenix tried to do the same thing. "Is it always like that?"

Sage shook her head. "Sometimes the Professor likes to be…creative."

"All right people, be on your guard. We don't know what Chuck is going to throw at us," Logan said, sniffing the air for any foreign scents. The Professor told them that he wanted to make sure Phoenix was ready physically for fieldwork, and then they would try an actual mission later on. He smiled and told the X-men that they could use the extra practice anyway.

_"It's always better to be ready. With any extra practice, you all with get better and better at controlling your powers and helping others."_

Scott directed the group into a clearing in the forest. The sun was shining down on them, behind them the darkness that was within the trees. Rogue took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips. "Finally. All those trees were really beginnin' to get on ma nerves."

Logan shot her look, grinning. She shrugged her shoulders. "Just cause Ah'm from tha South don't mean Ah like trees, Mountain Man."

He shook his head. "Hey I didn't say nothin', you were the one sticking words in my mouth," he smiled but there was suddenly something that shot out of the trees right into Wolverine causing him to grunt in pain at being thrown to the ground unexpectedly.

Jubilee screamed, jumping back while putting her hand to her chest. That really scared her! Not to mention the fact that it was Sabertooth. Cyclops touched his visor, sending a beam of red energy at him. Sabertooth looked to the side, from his position on top of Wolverine, his facial expression changing briefly before he went flying back into the forest with a loud 'thumping' sound.

"Easy enough," Scott said before hearing something all around him. "I spoke too soon," he muttered before everyone came out. Sabertooth was still missing, but the X-men knew he would be back soon enough. He always did come back for more. Omega Red was standing there, tentacles waving behind him. Juggernaut was laughing, pounding on his chest. There was Mystique, standing there with her hands on her hips. There was Pyro, the Blob, and Avalanche waiting behind her with grins on all of their faces.

Sabertooth burst out of the woods, roaring with anger. Wolverine popped his claws and ran after him. "He's mine!" he growled, both of them jumping into each other.

Cyclops looked around, assessing the situation. "All right people, listen up!" he called, trying to keep his eyes on all of the villains that showed up to fight them. "Bishop, Jean, Colossus, and I will take out the big ones. Storm and Rogue, you guys lead the others. Attack Mystique and her group first and then if we need help you know what to do."

The group nodded and went after their corresponding targets. Scott and Jean went after Juggernaut, who was already laughing in their faces. "The puny one and his girlfriend, yea right! You'll never get me, I'm unstoppable!" he yelled charging at them.

Jean lifted both Cyclops and herself out of the way. A beam of energy hit the buckle on Juggernauts helmet, which was shielding his mind from Jean's probing. Once she could get in it would be over. He grinned wickedly, "Don't think I'm going to fall for that again!" Cyclops realized that it was going to take more than him and Jean to beat the Juggernaut this time.

Bishop and Colossus were busy with Omega Red as well. It seemed like everyone's hands were full. Bishop was sending beams of energy at him while Colossus held him in place. The last one sent them both flying back into a tree. "Looks like you're hurting your teammate more than you are me," Omega Red snickered in his Russian accent.

Storm was flying overhead looking down at Mystique's team. Rogue looked at Blob, making a sour face. Kurt was on the ground, not sure which mutant to attack. He had to be able to use their powers against them. Jubilee looked at Avalanche wanting to kick his ass this time. Last time when they were in the Danger Room, he had wiped the floor with her. Kitty was willing to help. Iceman stared down Pyro. It was the perfect match, fire against ice. Link was last, deciding to take on Mystique. This is when she would be putting her fighting skills to the test.

The blue woman stepped forward, hands still resting on her hips. "Oh please. Little girl, you're no match for me. Just give up now, and I won't hurt you as badly."

Link took the fighting stance that Logan had taught her. "Put your money where you mouth is bitch. I'm taking you down."

Mystique shrugged her shoulders, looking at her nails like she was uninterested. "Fine, have it your way." With that she charged Link, her foot already in the air to connect with the side of Link's face. She ducked with no problem, dropping to the floor to kick her feet out from under her. Mystique went down, but she decided she was taking Link with her. She spun around quickly kicking out Link's feet as well.

The X-men went on with this for a long time, no one able to defeat their opponents. Storm had knocked out Avalanche and Pyro, and Sage had joined in on trying to overtake the Blob. Storm was helping Cyclops and Jean, but they were still having a hard time trying to unbuckle Juggernauts helmet. Link and Mystique were breathing hard, cuts and bruises forming on their arms and legs. Link gave her enemy a bad scratch on the face but she received a blow to the stomach that was already forming a dark patch of black and blue skin. "This is pointless!" she shouted.

Sage heard her. She turned her head, looking at everyone fighting. Link was right. There was definitely something wrong with the situation. Sage began to evaluate the circumstances when she figured out a new mode of action. "Everyone listen to me! We need to switch partners!"

Link nodded to Storm, who came up behind her and blasted Mystique with the raw power of the elements. She went flying back into the forest. Nightcrawler saw Link and teleported over to her. He grabbed her, teleported again, and ended up on Juggernauts back. She hastily pulled at one of the buckles, but he was too fast. His hands shot out to grab Nightcrawler, twisting him over his shoulder and throwing him into the ground. He spun around sending Link into a tree as well.

She stood up, dazed. Her hand went to her head, trying to stop everything from spinning. There was a figure in front of her. When she was finally able to make it out, Link realized it was Sabertooth. He reached for her neck, digging his claws into her skin. She tried to scream but no sound came out. Soon enough, she was off the ground her feet inches from the soil. Sabertooth laughed, bringing his face to her ear.

"So you're Wolverine's new bitch. I can smell him all over you," he whispered his hot breath on her neck. She started shivering. "Don't be scared of me little one, I won't hurt you…much." Link's eyes became black with power. Her ebony hair rose above her head, her body glowing with power. Sabertooth didn't know what had hit him, but he let go of Link before his ass hit the ground.

In distress, she was usually able to amplify her power to create a shield around herself. Sabertooth had been in the way of her shield and as a result, he was electrocuted, his hand burnt from touching her skin but the rest of him was all right. Until Wolverine shot out of the woods. "Beat it Link!" he yelled taking a slice out of Sabertooth.

She scrambled to get up. When she looked around she could see the others busy with Juggernaut and some of Mystique's group. Omega Red had already finished with Colossus and Bishop. They were lying on the floor, groaning. It was too much for everyone to handle. To much was going on and the leadership was shot.

Link looked up to see Mystique, Omega Red and Sabertooth coming toward her. She looked past them at Bishop who was trying to get up. He was trying to send them a blast of energy from his hand but he couldn't. Storm saw them and she rushed to help, but Juggernaut caught her in his gigantic hand. Finally, Kurt was able to unlatch the last buckle, allowing Jean to take him down. Wolverine was on his back, one leg bent at the knee, trying to get back up. His healing power was slowing down.

Link looked up, her personal space being closed in on. She became nervous, her body glowing again. If she could get up her electromagnetic shield, than at least she would be safe until the others got to her. But something else happened. Her amplified her powers so much that her hair blew behind her. "Ah!" she screamed sending out a powerful electromagnetic pulse.

The images around her flickered and then went out. The Danger Room returned to the normal empty room that it was. In the control room above, the Professor watched as the electronic equipment smoked and sizzled right in front of him. The lights went out, not even the emergency ones came on.

Phoenix lay on her side, her hair in front of her face and spread out of the floor. Logan crawled over to her, his wounds healing slowly. He was holding his stomach but he made it to her. The others were feeling around for each other, Jean searching telepathically.

"Hey," he grunted. "Phoenix? Hank!" he called to the darkness. He could hear a banging sound coming from the door to the Danger Room. Beast had decided to sit this secession out to work on some things in the lab.

"Oh," she groaned. In the darkness, Phoenix's hand twitched on the floor no one noticing but her. She looked at her arm, willing it to move when finally it did. She brought it to her head just as the emergency lights came on. The Professor was able to get the door open and Hank came running in.

"What the hell happened?"

Logan shook his head. "She disrupted the program."

Phoenix tried to move to sit up but she couldn't. She panicked. "I can't feel my legs! Logan my legs, what's wrong with them!"

"Calm down, Hank's here to help you."

"I'm going to pick you up all right?" Hank asked. She nodded. He placed his hand under her knees and around her shoulders and picked her up as if she weighed nothing. "Don't worry, we'll fix you up as good as new."

Cyclops looked at the ground. He knew he had made some bad decisions for that fight. Jean touched his shoulder. "It's not your fault. You did everything you could to make sure that everyone came out of the fight okay."

"But they didn't. We told Phoenix that we would protect her since it was her first time in the Danger Room and look what happened. I should have known, I should have made better choices back there"

"Scott, don't blame yourself," Storm said as well. She gripped his arm and gave him an encouraging squeeze. "Everyone knows the risks of coming in here. We were overpowered this time, but if things had gone differently," she paused referring to what had happened with Phoenix. "Then we would have been there to protect her anyway. She is still learning about her powers so they are erratic. It is not your fault that she did something that she did not know she could do."

Jean smiled at him. "See? I'm sure that Phoenix will be perfectly fine. Come on, let's go check on her."


	6. Government Operations

Part VI

When Phoenix awoke, she saw Hank's face smiling down at her. It felt like she'd been asleep for years. She moved her arms to rub the sleep out of her eyes, but her right forearm hurt too much. Henry watched her movements when he decided he should probably explain. "I had to give you a light sedative. That's the IV," he said nodding to the needle in her arm. "You've been asleep for a day. How do you feel?"

She smiled. "How do you think I feel after waking up from a day of sleep?"

"She's a little testy, but she sounds good," Logan said from behind Hank. He was leaning up against the wall in his usual stance.

"Can you move your legs Phoenix?" Hank asked, throwing the bed sheets up and over her legs. They were bare except for the infirmary sockets that they put on her. Her pants and shirt were folded neatly on the chair to the left of her bed.

She nodded and bent her legs at the knee. Hank told her to push against his hand, and she did with all the strength she had. "Good! Good! You seem to be in perfect condition."

"Do you know what happened to me?"

"Well, I have a theory. Because you are a cyberkinetic, when you sent out that electromagnetic pulse your body shut down. I'm not sure if you noticed but I'm assuming that you probably couldn't move your arms at first either." Phoenix nodded. "Well, I think that your body acts like a computer. Your brain had to reboot so as a side effect, you couldn't move your arms and legs. But they're completely fine," he finished with a pat on the leg. He covered her lower extremities back up and then moved around to the side of her bed. Logan also moved to the opposite side of her bed. "You did extremely well in your first Danger Room secession," Hank added before leaving the two alone.

Phoenix watched him leave, unable to meet Wolverine's glare. He spoke first. "I told you to get away from me in the Danger Room, why didn't you listen?" he asked. His voice sounded angry and frustrated.

"I'm sorry. I did stay away but I was thrown back by Juggernaut. It's not like I intentionally wanted to distract you and Sabertooth." She stopped and turned her head to look at him. There was something different about him. Just then, the Professor and Storm came through the med lab doors, the swishing sound following their entrance.

"It's good to see you're awake Phoenix," Xavier said moving his wheelchair to the side of the bed that Hank had once occupied.

She directed her attention to the Professor instead of Logan. "I'm so sorry about the Danger Room. I didn't mean to do that on purpose. I was only going to-"

Storm cut in and smiled at her. "Don't worry about it child. Sage is working on it right now. She always said that the control room needed more updated equipment, so this is her chance to install it."

"Maybe I should go help her. I'm really good with computers and I was the one who wrecked the system in the first place…" Phoenix said trying to take off her IV bandage. She started to swing her legs off the side of the bed when Logan stopped her. He smacked her hand away roughly and tucked her feet back in the infirmary bed.

"Stay in bed. We don't need anything else happening today." Logan said casually. Just as casually as he did that, he walked off through the glass doors.

"He's right Phoenix. Just rest and I'll send Hank back in to check on you later," the Professor said patting her hand and turning to leave. Storm waved and smiled before leaving after Xavier as well.

…

General Derex was sitting at his desk at the Pentagon, working away at something very diligently. His glasses were on the tabletop, his eyes never blinking as he continued to work furiously. He signed one paper, then turned his chair around to grab at something in another pile of mixed up papers behind him. He only looked up once at the sound of his speaker box next to him beeping.

"What is it?" he croaked into it. His was on his last nerve.

"Th-there is someone here to see you, sir. A Miss Raven Darkholme," the scared secretary spoke into the speaker. She smiled at the woman who was waiting, her glasses sitting neatly on the bridge of her nose and her hair pulled tightly into a bun. Her business suit was black, the skirt's length a professional level at the knee.

"Ah, send her in."

The secretary nodded and opened the door for her. Raven didn't even bat an eyelash as she scooped up her briefcase and walked stiffly into the room. She didn't even smile or nod, or give any eye contact whatsoever with the secretary who had opened the door for her. But she was used to being treated that way. She closed the door behind her with a sigh and returned to reading the latest gossip in her _Star_ magazine.

General Derex put down the pen he had been holding for the past couple of hours, and smiled at Raven Darkholme. "Don't give me that look!" she hissed and quickly transformed into the blue femme, Mystique. She sat down in the leather chair in front of Derex's desk, crossing her thin legs.

He sat back, crossing his hands over his protruding belly. "So have you got the information Mystique?" he asked nonchalantly.

She squinted at him, reaching into her briefcase to pull out a disk. "Yes, but I have to ask first why you came to me with this little proposition…?" she finally smirked, dangling the object in front of his face but not within his reach.

"The president's been on my ass all month about this new registration program. He's one of those mutant-lovers," he whispered under his breath.

Mystique laughed in his face. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." She shook her finger in front of him, putting the disk back into her briefcase. "Don't you know that you're working with a mutant General Derex? Isn't it a little ironic? Without me, you're literally nothing. The president would send you on your way, honorable discharge I would think."

"Yes well," he started reaching into a file beside his desk. "If you don't give me that disk Miss Darkholme then you'll have a bit of a problem on your hands as well."

She eyed him suspiciously. Mystique watched as his pushed the manila folder towards her. She studied the front and gently opened the cover. Her eyes changed dramatically, scanning the information he held against her. "I see," she mumbled closing the folder with a slam on his desk. "Just because you can blackmail me you think that you will get the disk? This could lead to something even bigger. What if I become part of your little…project?" she spat at him.

General Derex smiled up at her for she had suddenly pushed her chair back. She was standing in front of him now, her feet planted firmly on the ground. "I promise no harm will come to you. You have a General's honor."

She shook her head and calmly sat back down. "And what good is that?" she whispered to herself pulling back out the disk again. She handed it to him reluctantly, watching as his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. The final piece was in place. Mystique really didn't understand the need he had for that disk. "Have fun with it," she replied, venom still laced in her voice.

With that, she walked out of the office, the woman with the bun and glasses exiting and not the blue mutant. The secretary sat up straight in her chair and coughed a little, pretending to be working on something on her computer. "Have a nice day Miss Darkholme," she called, getting nothing but a slamming door as her answer.

Inside, General Derex grinned wickedly. Time to get his plan in action. He reached for his phone and pushed one of the speed dial numbers. There was a voice on the other end almost immediately. "I need to speak to the president right away. I've made a break-through that I think he should know about. He'll be very surprised with what I've found."


	7. Attack on the Mansion

Part VII

It had been three weeks since the Danger Room incident. Phoenix was training meticulously that day, hitting and kicking the punching bag with no mercy. She was breathing hard, her eyes focused. That morning Logan had come down to scold her about something…again. It had been like that for the past weeks. He would nag her about something, she would get frustrated and it would end with both of them getting angry and leaving. She tried ignoring him, giving him the silent treatment, but nothing worked. Phoenix didn't understand why he did it, but he was beginning to annoy her and she wasn't one to dislike anyone.

Storm told her that was just the way Logan was, but she knew it was something different. After a while Phoenix stopped training with him and instead went to Colossus, who was much more tolerant. That only seemed to make things worse. She held her breath, performing a rather complicated move on the punching bag.

Bishop got mad just the other day, saying that Logan was acting strangely and he shouldn't be taking it out on Phoenix just because she was there and willing. He came back with something, like the smart-ass that he is. That only made the situation worse. It ended up with a fight, and Phoenix was a little angry that her own father said that she was willing to be Logan's punching bag. She would be nothing of the sort. Sage knew where she was coming from and told her that sometimes men say things before thinking. She didn't need to be told that twice.

There was a sound from the opposite end of the gym, making Phoenix turn her head. The sweat made her hair stick to her face. The ponytail was already coming undone, the back almost resting on the base of her neck. It was Logan.

He was walking towards her, his eyes cast downward. Phoenix cocked her head to the side, unsure. She suddenly realized he was smirking at her. He didn't say a word but only took off his leather jacket and threw his white shirt on the ground. He took his fighting stance waiting for her to respond.

Phoenix shrugged her shoulders and followed suit. This would definitely be interesting.

Logan circled her, looking for a weakness. She was careful to keep her eyes on him. If she hadn't, then she wouldn't have seen the lunge he took at her. Phoenix blocked him easily, but she soon realized that either Logan had gotten faster or she had gotten slower because as she blocked his next moves, she began to take small steps back. Logan saw this and dropped to his knees, kicking out her feet from under her.

Phoenix gave a small yelp before hitting the floor with an echo that sounded about them. His laugh soon joined it. She was angry now. She got up and they started the dance again. It was several minutes later before Phoenix had gotten so uncoordinated and angry that she didn't care whether or not she won the little spar they were having. She wanted to hurt him. She threw a right hook when Logan ducked, grabbed her by the waist and tackled her like a football player would someone who had the ball. They fell to the floor, Logan trying to soften her fall but the sound still rang in his ears.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he roared.

Phoenix tried punching him and hitting him on the chest, but he was too strong. He pinned her arms to her sides, but she kept thrashing. She had never shouted at him before, she had never intentionally hurt him in anyway but now all that anger and frustration was surfacing and she wanted to hurt him this time.

"Phoenix! Calm down!" he said with difficulty. He noticed the slight tear stains on her face. Her eyes were closed as she still tried to free her body and her hands. "Stop," he said as gently as he could. He decided to stop shouting at her too.

She paused, but her body began to shake with the tremors of crying. "Why are you so cruel to me? I've never done anything to you before and this is how I get treated! I hate you!" she said starting up again, trying to get her body free of his enormous weight.

He watched the weak girl below him. Logan got up from her so quickly she didn't even know he had done it until she opened her eyes again. His back was facing her, his face turned away. His stuck his hands in his pockets and pulled out a crushed cigar. He reached farther in for a light, but didn't have one. "I'm sorry."

The words were so faint that she had to strain to hear them, but she knew. Phoenix also knew that he wouldn't repeat them for her. She stood up now, brushing herself off and readjusting her ponytail. She wiped at her face and looked at the ground, unsure of what to do. Things couldn't be fixed as easily as that…could they?

Phoenix walked over to him slowly and pulled the unlit cigar from his mouth, smiling down at it, unable to meet his gaze yet. "And I hate these too," she replied not sure if he understood her sentence.

But he did. She didn't really hate him, but he was so mean to her. She had a legitimate reason to hate him. He didn't. He reached out, slipping his arms around her waist. The movement caused Phoenix to gasp, her arms trapped between them resting on his chest. She'd never seen this side of him before, but it was making up for the past three weeks.

Something interrupted their moment when Logan's ears perked up. He pushed Phoenix away, holding her an arm's length away. She looked around, uncertain about what was going on. The skylight windows above them unexpectedly shattered all around them. Logan pushed her out of the way. Before she knew what was happening, he pulled her up and dragged her out of the gym, slamming the door shut after them.

"Hopefully you didn't get too slow," he muttered with his usual smirk before heading down the hallway. "Get the kids out of here," he called. She nodded and began opening doors and pulling out the teenagers and kids out of bed and down the hall after Logan.

The glass from more windows crashed to the ground. Phoenix caught up with Jean who quickly created a shield around them. "Take them!" she shouted pushing a smaller kid into Jean's arms. "I'll go back."

Before she could say anything Phoenix was gone again. Jean contacted Scott mentally, telling him to make sure that everyone was out of the building before he left. "Come on kids, it's all right, don't be scared. This way, hurry up!" she said, ushering them down the stairs and sending stray soldiers into the air as the descended. She met up with Colossus who was already putting kids into the underground tunnels.

"Phoenix is making sure no one is left behind. Scott and some of the others are taking care of the soldiers but I told him to make sure everyone else got out of the building. Someone has to go down with the children," Jean said climbing into the tunnels.

"You go," Colossus said in his heavy Russian accent. "I will help them."

Rogue was running down the long hallway grabbing Kitty and Jubilee's hands, one on either side of her. Bobby was trailing behind them, sending flashes of ice towards incoming soldiers. "Hey Peter, wait a second!" she screamed as bullets zoomed past her. She pushed the others in first, hurrying Bobby, and then climbed into the tunnels after them. "What about you?"

"I've got to help the others."

"Make sure Gambit gets out. I lost him in all the shooting," she asked before he closed the doors on her. He made his way upstairs looking in all the rooms for stray children as well as stray X-men. He stopped Kurt who was teleporting throughout the rooms as well.

"Get to the tunnels furry boy," Colossus said. "I can take care of this. They need more X-men down there." With a nod from Nightcrawler, he teleported to Rogue and Jean who screamed slightly from the sudden intrusion.

"Sorry about that," he smiled up at them.

Jean looked up, her mind reaching out just in time to feel Scott pass out. "Something's wrong," she shook her head and tried to contact him again but got nothing. "I have to go up there. You two stay down here and make sure the children get out safely. Seek cover in the forest. We don't want anything to happen to them. I have to make sure Scott's all right," she called running back the way she came. Rogue was going to follow when Nightcrawler shook his head.

Phoenix was about finished checking the rooms when she heard a small cry coming from the closet. She approached the doors and opened them quickly to see a huddle form in the corner. She stepped in and grabbed her as the little girl held her arms out for her.

"It's all right now. You're safe I promise. Let's get down to those tunnels before the bad guys find us okay?" Phoenix asked calmly. The little girl nodded her head and clung to Phoenix for dear life. "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Kaitlyn," the fragile girl replied.

"Why that's a beautiful name!" she said softly as she crept down the hallways looking for any more soldiers. She could only hope that Wolverine and the others got them all. "How old are you Kaitlyn?" she continued to ask questions as they made their way down the large staircase. The glass cracked under her feet.

"I'm five and a half," the little girl replied, sounding a bit happier. "My birthday's in a couple of months and then I'll be six and I can start school with all my friends!"

"Wow, that's wonderful!" Phoenix answered.

"Isn't that sweet?" a soldier said coming from behind the staircase, gun raised and ready to shoot. A handful of other officers stood behind him, smirking and laughing. Kaitlyn started crying, her face buried in Phoenix's neck. "Don't put up a fight and we won't hurt you," the soldier replied. The others behind him laughed again, their night vision goggles sitting securely over their eyes.

Phoenix didn't reply. Maybe she could control them enough to get them out of the situation, but she didn't have the time as suddenly a wall of fire rose in between Phoenix and the soldiers. They screamed, the light affecting their eyesight. Kaitlyn was shaking in her arms, but it seemed to have come from her. As the wall started to disappear, Kaitlyn became weaker, her grip loosening on Phoenix's neck. "Time to move," she whispered running around the other side of the staircase.

She was hit in the face with the blunt end of a gun the moment she turned the corner, her body falling limply to the ground. Kaitlyn screamed before being hit with a tranquilizer. Colossus heard them. He went running towards the sound, the small darts bouncing off of his steel body. He spotted them, Phoenix lying on the ground. He pushed the guards out of the way, grabbing Kaitlyn and lifting her into his arms.

"Get the kid out of here!" Wolverine called from above. "I'll get Phoenix."

Colossus took off without another word. Before Wolverine knew what hit him, he was on the ground. He tried to pick himself up with his arms but they were growing weak, very quickly. His vision was blurring, his sense leaving him.

"That should take care of the animal," a voice above him said sinisterly before he passed out completely.

…

General Derex smiled at his desk, leaning back and propping up his feet. He put his hands behind his head and sighed. They had just finished raiding the Xavier Mansion, and it seemed like things had gone exceptionally well. The soldiers were briefed on the mission and they were to bring back the following mutants unharmed: Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, Logan, Tessa Niles, Lucas Bishop, Remy LeBeau, Henry McCoy, Kurt Wagner, Piotr Rasputin, Sam Guthrie and Marie D'Ancanlo.

Surprisingly, they brought back more than half of those who were to be captured. General Derex had thought that _less_ than half would be brought back to the labs unharmed. The other X-men would have either escaped or else died trying to. Things were already turning out in his favor.

His fingers touched the manila folders gently, also caressingly. He grinned again. Putting his feet back on the floor with a loud thump, her leaned forward and opened the first one. It had a picture of Lucas Bishop, arms folded across his chest. It had background information and more importantly in bold letters, mutant powers. General Derex pulled up the second one as well, opening it to the first page. Sage's picture was staring back at him, her rose colored glasses sitting neatly on her face. Her mutant powers were also highlighted with bold letters.

_Bishop woke up with a splitting headache. He reached behind his head and felt blood. He had to blink his eyes a few times to regain normal vision as he looked around the small, rectangular cell that he was held in. He spotted a curled-up form on the ground. Suddenly, he realized who it was Sage, laying on her side, her hair flowing behind her. _

"_Sage!" he cried, getting up so fast that the room started to spin. The concussion didn't help the situation either. _

_Sage moaned, but she didn't respond. Bishop grabbed her shoulders, her head falling limp to her side. He shook her trying to wake her up. Sage opened her eyes enough to see Bishop's form, but she was so sedated that she fell back asleep. Bishop noticed the small puncture wound in her arm. It was rather large, and he figured that they pumped her full of drugs so that she wouldn't be able to use her powers._

_Speaking of powers, Bishop charged up and fired at the metal door only to have to bounce back and hit him square in the chest. He groaned, his back hitting the opposite metal wall. Only one form of metal would be able to do that…adamantium._

General Derex smiled wickedly. With the adamantium walls, Bishop's powers would cause no damage at all. The only damage might be against himself. Sage on the other hand could cause some problems with her low-level telepathy, but he was able to solve that problem by keeping her heavily sedated.

Turning to the next manila folder, he opened it to see Ororo's picture looking up at him. She was smiling, her hair blowing back in the wind. She was in her natural element, the wild. Derex looked down her folder to see the word claustrophobia in capital letters. That would be an asset, and putting her in a contained adamantium room would be perfect to keep this weather witch under control.

_Storm opened her eyes slowly. The tranquilizer was beginning to wear off. She was still feeling stunned, and she didn't quite remember how she got here. All she could think about was hearing boots running down the hallway in the mansion, glass shattering and hitting the floor. The next thing she knew soldiers clad in camouflage uniforms, burst through her door and shot her with something, instantly knocking her out. They knew that she would cause a problem with her elemental control._

_Storm looked around, the area about her black as night. She couldn't see a thing. When she reached a hand out, it touched something cold and metal. She was in a box! Her eyes immediately became white with power. She tried to use the elements to get out of the metal box, but nothing was happening. Storm was beginning to panic. If she didn't get out she would surely die! Minutes later she passed out from exhaustion and fear, her screams could still be heard throughout the compound._

Derex flipped to the next folder. He already knew what it was, opening to the front page. Scott Summers was waving at him. Taking out the folder behind it, he could see Scott's long-time girlfriend Jean Grey, her fire engine red hair pouring down her shoulders. Her green eyes were staring intently at General Derex. Looking into them made him feel almost guilty for what he did.

Shrugging his shoulders, the guilt didn't stay for long. He turned back to Scott's folder, tucking the telepath's folder into another pile. Derex knew that Scott got his power from solar energy so if he was able to keep him from gaining energy, he would be able to stop Scott's power from working underground.

_Jean Grey was screaming, her red hair flying wildly around her. She was being held around the waist by one of the guards, his grip almost taking the air from her lungs. She was reaching her hands out to the sleeping form in the glass coffin. Scott lay sleeping soundly, his hands folded across his chest. He was sedated, and not receiving any type of solar energy. His powers would be gone it a matter of hours._

_General Derex walked into the room, smiling sweetly at Jean. She was crying. He took his fingers, wiping at her face. "Don't cry girl. I promise that it will be a quick death. We don't need you anymore, so you will have to be disposed of. We already have a resident telepath," he whispered to her, his eyes focusing on something else._

_She directed her eyes to where he was looking. It was Professor Xavier! He was hooked up to a machine, his eyes covered and tubes sticking out of his body. Jean tried to say something but no words came out of her mouth. They took her to a darkened room where she knew she would see Scott no more._

_Scott, on the other hand, woke up a few hours later with his arm stinging. He looked_ _down to see a small puncture would. He looked around for a couple of minutes before realizing that he didn't have his glasses on. His hands reached up, touching the cool surface. He pounded on it, trying and struggling to get out. The guards came, wheeling the coffin into another cell. They dumped him in there alone. The only thoughts he had were of Jean. He was getting a very bad feeling._

General Derex was already reading the next folder, propping his feet back up on his desk. If he had the time, he would have liked to enjoy this particular folder more. At the top it read Project Weapon X. He got this specific information from an old friend, William Stryker. Reading the tests and experiments done on this mutant brought a grin to the general's lips. If only he had thought of it first.

_Logan was roaring with anger, slicing away at the adamantium walls. He knew that he would never brake through them, but he wasn't going to give up. If this place had adamantium cages, then they must be at some kind of base like the one where they did the mutant experiments on him. With the rest of the X-men team captured, and any of the other students taken hostage, he was damn well sure that they were probably going to try and do the same thing they did to him all those years ago._

Huffing, Derex threw six folders across his office, the contents spilling out across the floor. Rogue, Nightcrawler, Cannonball, Beast, Colossus and Gambit had all escaped. Turning back around in his chair, he eyed a single folder left on the desk. It was thin, the front stamped with the word unknown. He opened it to see Phoenix, her ebony hair long and straight falling past her shoulders. Her eyes were gray, looking him dead in the face.

They had captured this particular mutant but they had no idea who she was. She wasn't in the system at all. Derex was cautious to let her run around free in a cell. Even though nothing could get past the adamantium casing, he was hesitant because he didn't know the nature of her powers. She could be another telepath, trying to mess around their heads. Then again, she could be a normal human being. Without any prior knowledge, he just couldn't risk it.

_Phoenix lay in a glass coffin, exactly like the one Scott had been in. She was asleep, an IV hooked up to her arm. The sedative ran through her system at all times, keeping her under control. When they were ready to see what she was capable of, she would be pulled out and brought to a special room. Right now, they were ready to experiment with their other test subjects, leaving her be in the glass tomb._


	8. The Great Escape

Part VIII

Kurt was transporting students from the underground tunnels to the dense trees around the mansion. Rogue, Colossus and Cannonball were already waiting with a couple of the younger kids and some of the older ones who tended to the others. Beast stayed in the tunnels with the students that were left behind while Kurt was teleporting.

Soon enough, everyone was completely out of the mansion. Rogue looked back, biting her nails. "What about everyone else?" she asked turning back to the group.

"All of the students are accounted for, which is a good thing. We'll go back for the others once we get them to a safe place," Hank explained ushering the kids along.

Rogue took one last look before entering the forest in front of her. Hearing an odd noise coming from behind her, made her stop. She turned back around toward the direction of the mansion. She saw a hand on the side of the hill they were standing on. It was Gambit! Rushing over, she pulled him up and held him securely in her arms. "Oh mah Gawd!" she screamed still cradling his head.

Colossus and Cannonball turned back around and went for Rogue. They saw her there but realizing their awkward situation and position on the hill, they realized that they needed to move to a more secure place. Cannonball grabbed Rogue, prying her hands away from Gambit. Colossus picked him up, mindful of his wounds.

"C'mon girl we need to get out of here!" Sam whispered harshly, pulling her into the trees. Colossus followed closely behind.

Once they were in far enough, Hank stopped them and he attended Gambit's wounds. He sighed and mumbled to himself, wrapping up his torso with white bandages. Kurt rubbed Rogue's shoulder comfortingly, while Sam paced up and down the clearing in the forest. "Well," began Beast. "He should live, but we need to get him to a hospital. He suffers from some bullets wounds."

"No hospital," the listless form grumbled. "Those bastards took de others," he said cringing as he tried to sit up against a tree stump. "Remy was trying to git to dem, but dose soldiers started firin' at me."

"What should we do?" Cannonball asked as Rogue went to Remy's side, holding his hand. She scolded him but hugged him at the same time. He sucked in a breath as she hit a sore spot on his shoulder.

"We can't just abandon them," Piotr said, finally saying something. He stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. "I say, we take back the mansion by force." He Russian accent was thick as he said those last words.

"Maybe we should approach this differently…" Hank said, holding his chin. "I'm assuming that whoever attacked the mansion knew about our mutant abilities. That's why they were able to overpower us so easily. If Kurt can get me back into the mansion, I might be able to activate Cerebro's defense systems and we could attack them by surprise inside of just charging in there without any form of a plan. And if we're lucky, maybe Phoenix will be able to reach us. I would bet my life that they don't know what she's capable of," Beast said standing up, looking over at Kurt.

"I will do my best," he said holding out his hand.

"Rogue, you take care of Gambit and the others. Keep close," he said motioning for the others to gather around. "Cannonball, you and Colossus stay near the mansion. You'll be able to hear our signal. That just leaves you and I, Nightcrawler."

He nodded as Beast took his hand, the familiar 'bamf' sound and the smoke all that was left behind. Cannonball took off, his speed incredible. Colossus touched Rogue's shoulder before running after him.

"They'll do it, right?" she asked Gambit, who had already passed out in her lap.

…

"Ah!" Logan yelled, his six claws still trying to work through the cell's adamantium walls. He finally stopped, drawing them back inside his hands with a 'snikt' that rang throughout the cell. He began pounding on the door, on the sidewalls, on anything he could get his hands on. "You bastards, let me out of here and I'll show ya what I can do!"

"Logan?" a voice called from the cell over.

"One-eye?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yea, it's me. Do you know where the others are?" he asked, resting up against the door.

"Nah, it's just me in here. More importantly, do you know who was captured?" Logan countered. Scott just shook his head, but he didn't answer. He was still a bit tired, probably an after effect of the sedative. He rubbed furiously at his arm. "Hey, you okay in there?" Logan asked, not hearing anything else.

"Just tired. I don't know where Jean is. I can't connect with her telepathically. I hope that she's back at the mansion," he answered off-handedly.

"I'm sure that Jeannie can take care of herself."

Back in the labs, one of the guards kicked over a chair, throwing up his arms. "I'm not watching this girl anymore! Do you know how boring it is to watch her sleeping there?" he asked General Derex who was working another computer. The guard was pointing at the sleeping form of Phoenix.

"I could always replace you," Derex replied looking over the rims of his glasses.

"We don't even know if she's a mutant or not. We could stick her in one of the cells and see what happens, but I'm not watching her anymore. She's starting to freak me out a little bit," he said shaking his head. "She just lies there like a dead girl."

"Oh fine," Derex said waving his hand, like he didn't care. "Put her with either Scott Summers or Wolverine. Whoever gives you less trouble."

With that, he wheeled her off to a long hallway where the some of the lights were out. The light bulbs were broken or needed to be replaced, but no one cared enough to take care of it. Just like they had done with Scott, he removed her IV and headed to one of the cells that General Derex told him to put her in.

"Wake up boys! Which one of you guys wants to have a cellmate?" he asked with a snicker. Logan ran up to the door, trying to look past the bars to see who it was. He knew they had captured Phoenix, but he wasn't sure where she was. His nose twitched with a familiar scent. It was faint but it was there.

"Let's see, which one of you deserves her?" he asked himself walking over to Wolverine's door. "You gonna behave?" he asked like he was talking to a dog. He opened the large metal door, giving Logan a shock as he tried to push the guard out of the way to escape. "Now that's not very nice," he said giving Logan another shock as he lay on the ground, a hand on his stomach.

Having enough fun, he threw Phoenix into the cell and left, his laughter ringing throughout the hall. "You okay?" Scott asked from the next cell.

"Yea, could've stopped him but he had Phoenix. If we can wake her up…" he said, his tone very suggesting. He didn't want to say anything just in case they were being monitored. Scott understood. They had a better chance of getting out of there alive if they had Phoenix, who would be able to control practically the whole compound.

"Wolverine?" a voice yelled from down the hall. It was Bishop.

"Lucas, are you okay?" Scott answered for him.

"Scott? I'm fine, who else is here?"

"Just me, Logan and Phoenix. What about you? Do you know who else was captured back at the mansion?" Scott answered, trying to find out more information. It was a bad sign if they didn't know who was taken and who wasn't. They didn't want to leave anyone behind, but how could they if they didn't even know who was imprisoned and who's still back at the mansion.

"Me and Sage," he replied. By the sound of his voice, they there more than a couple cells away from Scott and the others. "She's not doing to good. She keeps going in and out of consciousness. They did something to her."

"Probably a sedative like me and Phoenix. Keep trying to wake her up," Scott answered falling back against the wall again. If only he had his powers.

"Phoenix, wake up!" Logan whispered harshly, shaking her shoulders. She moaned, her body still limp. "Come on darlin' open those eyes so I can see 'em." He shook her again, this time her eyes opening just enough to make out the fuzzy image above her. "Hey," he replied softly, watching as a small smile formed on her lips.

"Lo-Logan?" she asked, her voice shaky and husky. "Where are we?"

"I don't know darlin' but I think you might be able to help us out here," she started to slip back into sleep, but Logan slapped her check lightly trying to keep her up. "Don't go back to sleep. Right, now you gotta stay awake."

"I'm so tired," she whispered.

"I know, and once we get back to the mansion you can sleep all you want. C'mon wake up!" he said lifting her body against his. She sat in his lap, her back pressed against his chest. Her head was lying on his shoulder. Logan kept rubbing at her arms and whispering in her ears. After a few minutes, Phoenix opened her eyes fully. She yawned a few times, taking in her surroundings and where she was.

Scooting out of his grasp, she sat next to him instead, resting her back against the cool surface of the metal. It sent shivers down her spine...or maybe that was Logan. "Look at me," he whispered, taking her head in his two large ones. "You have to use your powers. You're our only chance of getting us out of here alive." Wolverine spoke so softly that even the cameras in the cell couldn't hear what he was saying.

She nodded her head, understanding. "Block the view of that camera up there," Phoenix replied. He sat closer to her, shielding her from their probing eyes. She sat back, looking completely relaxed. Her eyes began to close, her mind reaching out to take control of the control system. When she opened her eyes, they were as black as night.

"She's in."

Phoenix got to work as quickly as she could. All systems were now under her control. Her mind was reeling with the power that she held. She could literally see everything, everyone in every part of the compound was under her observation. She saw Scott in the next cell over, and she spotted Bishop holding her mother close. Jean was lying there motionless in another room, hooked up to something. She also saw Xavier.

"The professor is here," she whispered. "He seems to be under their control. He's hooked up to so many machines." Phoenix's voice was sounding uneasy.

"Don't worry, we'll get him outta here, soon enough."

Getting back to work, she cut off power to all the cameras in all the cells. She unlocked the cells that needed to be, the doors opening themselves. Bishop picked up Sage and headed down the hall towards Scott and Logan. Phoenix then cut off the power to the control room, all the screens going blank. She appeared on them instead.

"Hello gentleman," she announced, her voice going over the intercom as well. It rang down the halls where the X-men where. "I'm very glad to say that I now have control of all the systems that this base has to offer. Even the defense systems," she replied evilly as guns dropped from every room to focus in on the soldiers and especially General Derex who was staring at his computer screen. "I suggest that none of you move." The General was silently beating himself up for putting that girl in a cell against his better judgement.

Logan looked around. "Phoenix, if you're done playing games, would ya mind hurrying it up!" he asked, picking her up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tell us where the Professor is, so we can rescue him too. Is there anyone else that we need to know about?"

"Do not rush me," she said, her hair glowing and raising above her. Logan had to put her down, her energy level rising too much. "Jean Grey is also here, but I do not know what is wrong with her. She's located in the same room as Professor Xavier. Storm is confined in a special cell one level below us. No one else is present that I can see."

Scott's heart started to beat faster. "Tell us how to get to Jean!"

"I will direct you," Phoenix said pulling up floor plans in her mind. "Take that hallway there, and make an immediate right. Follow it until you come to a metal door. They should be in there. I must warn you that General Derex and some of the other guards are in the room across from there. I will help you where I can."

"All right, I'm going with you!" Logan said trying to follow Scott.

"No! Someone has to rescue Storm, and then there's still Sage and Phoenix. Someone has to get them out of here. Is there some way we can escape?" he asked, quickly moving his attention to the cyberkinetic.

"Yes, there is a jet in the hanger that we may use. From what I can tell, we are in some kind of Canadian base. I am not entirely sure how they got us here so quickly."

"We can figure that out later. You guys go ahead and I'll meet up with you," Scott replied, ready to run down the hall after Jean and the Professor.

"Wait!" Logan said, turning to the one man left. "Can you get to Storm?" he asked Bishop who nodded. He was going to reply when he was interrupted.

"Get her Bishop. I can give you directions how to get down there. Sage and I will be fine. No one is moving in this base without me knowing about it. Go now!" she said directing him over to the stairs.

"Good. Now, you don't have any powers Summers, so how the hell can you expect to get Jeannie and the Professor outta here alive? I'm coming with you whether you like it or not." Scott didn't have a chance to respond. "Phoenix, I'm sure that Bishop will be back before us. So can you create some kind of link to help us get out of here and to the hanger safely? We'll meet you there."

"I have never done anything of the sort before, but I will try to come up with something. I will be there for you," she said before they took off down the hall.

Phoenix worked twice as hard trying to help both teams. Getting Storm out was easy enough. Her eyes were white, her hair crackling with the power of lightning. She was breathing hard but besides that in good shape. She followed Bishop back up the staircase and to Sage and Phoenix. Storm quickly picked up Sage with the help of her winds, and Bishop grabbed Phoenix, one arm around her shoulders and the other holding tightly around her knees.

"All right little lady," Bishop said, referring to Phoenix. "You gotta tell me how to get out of here because I'm kind of lost."

"Take this left," she replied.

Bishop struggled with Phoenix from time to time, especially when she would power up. "How much longer?" he asked, gritting his teeth. Phoenix didn't answer right away, still busy with helping Scott and Logan. She had already locked the door to the room that General Derex was in, but he continued to try to enter his access code to open the door as he watched Wolverine and Cyclops.

"Sit back down General," she ordered, lowering one of the defense guns. He eyed it before taking a seat like he was told.

"You tell 'em Phoenix," Logan whispered, carefully cutting at the Professor's wires and tubes that connected him to a strange machine.

"Jean, Jean, Jean," Scott repeated softly prying her loose as well. She was limp in his arms, her chest not moving at all. He knew he couldn't panic or else he would have to deal with something else...fear. All he wanted to focus on now was getting Jean out of here and safely home where Hank would heal her.

Logan watched as he threw Xavier over his shoulder. Scott cradled Jean close to his chest, his eyes watering. He heard something drop from her hands, and when he dropped his gaze to see what it was, he caught a glimpse of red. His glasses. He picked them up and put them back on over his eyes, covering the escaping tears. "Let's get out of here."

"Right, Phoenix we need some help here darlin'!" Logan shouted, looking up.

All of a sudden the lights went out, leaving them standing in the darkness. "That's not what I expected," Scott muttered. A crackling sound was heard on the intercom before they heard the sweet sound of their cyberkinetic friend's voice.

"Follow the lights," she said. There was suddenly a new trail of lights for them to follow. Not wasting any time, the two took off in the direction they were pointed in. "I will try to contain any of the soldiers in your way, but be alert. I might miss one or two," she said before her voice disappeared into the darkness.

Back with Bishop, Phoenix had finished leading him to the hanger. He was boarding the jet, Storm already strapping in Sage who was still going in and out of consciousness. She moaned, the bright lights hitting her in the face. "You might want these back," Bishop whispered, handing her the red glasses. She smiled, her shaky hand touching them. "I'll be right back. Gotta go back for our daughter." With that, he exited the jet to get Phoenix.

As Logan and Scott came running for the jet, Phoenix hit the ground clutching at her head. Bishop ran over to her, picking her up without question and leading her to the jet as well, followed closely by the others. Scott and Logan quickly strapped in the two telepaths before doing the same for themselves. Scott was in the pilot's seat and Ororo, who had already powered up the jet, was acting as co-pilot.

"Phoenix, hey are you okay?" Bishop said sitting beside her.

She nodded, her eyes still black as onyx. "I'm trying to connect to the mansion computer systems but that's a little bit harder. I've already drained a lot of power." She closed her eyes, a hand at her temple. Her eyebrows creased together showing how hard she was struggling to link with the mansion.

"Take our power," Sage whispered looking to Bishop. They were already in the air by this time, so she considered it safe to get out of her seat. She touched Phoenix's shoulder and then touched Bishop's. "I'll be the catalyst. Bishop, give us your energy."

He nodded, amplifying his power. With the new boost of power, Phoenix was able to easily connect with the mansion computer systems. She saw Beast already working at the main computer, typing rapidly. She saw he was trying to access the defense systems just as she had at the Canadian compound. Helping him, she appeared at the bottom of the screen. "Hello Hank," she whispered, trying not to scare him too much.

Both him and Kurt jumped back. "Phoenix? Thank God you're all right. What about the others?" Nightcrawler asked, walking over to the computer with Beast.

"We are fine. I'm not sure about Jean though, they did something to her. We are returning to the mansion at once. What is the status over there?" she asked, taking a look through the cameras. Some of them were already destroyed but most of them were intact and still working. She began assessing the situation herself.

"The soldiers are still in the mansion. We're not sure what they are doing but I was trying to get control of the defense systems so that we could surprise them. But I'm sure you already knew that," he added with a smile.

"Yes. How are the students?"

"They're all fine," Kurt said this time.

"I will help you take down the soldiers, but you have to be ready and prepped in the infirmary by the time we get there. You will have to work extra hard on Jean," she said guns coming out on the grounds and inside the mansion just as they had at the base.

Taking care of the soldiers was hard work, but as Cannonball and Colossus showed up, things seemed to get a little bit easier. Nightcrawler and Beast teleported to help them with Phoenix still controlling the computer systems. By the time Scott and the others arrived at the mansion, it was almost in pieces. The underground was still intact and still working, which was more important. They rushed Jean to the infirmary, Henry working on her at once. Ororo offered her services since Jean was usually the assistant to the resident doctor. He gladly accepted.

Scott stayed in the infirmary, watching through the glass doors as they worked on her. Bishop, Logan, and Colossus set up beds for Sage and the Professor. He was still a bit confused and disoriented, but he was coming to. He told them a little on the plane about how he was captured. On one of his regular visits to see his half-brother, he was captured and had been at that Canadian base for about three or four days. He lost count.

Cannonball and Phoenix went to get the others and bring them back to the mansion. It wasn't literally a mansion anymore, but it was still their home. Kaitlyn ran into Phoenix's arms, the tranquilizer having already worked its way through her system.

After settling everyone in, all the X-men returned to the infirmary, a new bed set up for Gambit. They waited patiently to hear any news about Jean. Phoenix sat in one of the chairs, holding the sleeping Kaitlyn in her arms. She was pressed up against her chest, her legs dangling on either side of her. Phoenix released her hold momentarily to rub at her head. "Got a headache?" the voice above her asked.

She smiled, already knowing who it was. "Yea. Did a lot today," she smiled opening her eyes. "Someone else knows what I'm talking about," she replied, bouncing her legs a little bit to indicate that she was talking about the girl in her arms.

"Come on, let's put her to bed," Logan whispered picking her up and taking her from Phoenix. The lower levels had some beds, the kids already filling the up. The youngest get beds, and then it went from there. None of the X-men slept anyway, but some of the older students had to sacrifice and sleep on the cold floor. Logan placed Kaitlyn on a pile of blankets, wrapping one of them around her. "She's a good kid."

Phoenix nodded. "Yes." They didn't talk as they made their way back to the infirmary. She slipped her arm through his, holding it close to her body. Logan didn't say anything. He didn't make any move to stop her, but he didn't make any move to encourage her actions either.

As they neared the infirmary, Logan stopped and turned to look at her. She didn't smile up at him. Her eyes had returned back to normal, the light color a contrast to his dark, almost black eyes. "Phoenix I-"

He didn't continue as she stood on her tiptoes, her small frame suddenly being crushed to his tall, broad one. She did smile then as he lowered his head to hers. She was almost afraid to close her eyes, like she was expecting too much already. But she did, and Logan kissed her. It was soft at first, both of them savoring the feel of each other. As the seconds passed, it became more forceful for the need to taste each other. Phoenix had to pull back, finally realizing that she did need air to survive.

Logan wouldn't let her though as he pulled her back to him. This time he wanted entrance to her mouth, running his tongue along her lips silently begging for her to open them. She did and their tongues battled as Phoenix clutched at his head, both of her arms wound tightly around his neck. Logan's hands traveled around her body, settling on her hips, pulling her to him. When they stopped for breath, he whispered her name. "Jean…" he said softly. Phoenix opened her eyes, shock evident on her face. Logan realized his deadly mistake of calling her that name.

Phoenix backed away, her hand grasping at her shirt. Logan tried to reach for her, but she cringed trying to get away from him like his touch burnt her. In a way it did. "Phoenix wait, that's not what I meant." His voice was pleading. He'd never heard himself sound like that before, so…desperate.

Shaking her head, Phoenix's glare turned to ice. "I may have her name Logan, but I will never be Jean Grey!" she spat. Her eyes were glossed over, the unshed tears threatening to spill over, but she wouldn't let them. Phoenix wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her breakdown right in front of him. She ran from him then, back to the infirmary, she didn't know where.

She stopped when she ran into something hard, solid and steel. After falling to the floor, Colossus offered her a hand smiling down at her. "I was trying to catch you before you fell but…" his voice trailed off when he saw her face. Phoenix was crying openly now, her body shaking from her sobs. "What's wrong? I came to find you and Wolverine to tell you that Jean is okay. She's going to be fine!" Colossus said, his Russian accent ever present.

Phoenix tried to pass off her tears as tears of joy. She jumped into his arms, trying to put on her best smile. He spun her around, her legs flying behind her. "That's such good news!" she said following Piotr back to the med lab. Wolverine came out of the shadows, leaning against the cold wall. What had he done?


	9. Unexpected Visitors

Part IX

It had been several weeks since the attack on the mansion. The X-men and Professor Xavier worked hard to rebuild what was broken. The children were sent home for a 'break' so that they didn't have to stay in the lower levels were it was always cold and there weren't enough beds. Xavier saw it as a chance for the children to reunite with their parents for a couple of weeks. They could view this as a good thing.

Now that the mansion was finished, the children would be returning. Jean Grey was doing good, confined to the infirmary the first week. Hank kept an eye on her all the time, watching how she was recovering. After that, she was allowed to help only for a limited amount of time. Scott usually stayed with her, but once in a while she would send him away to 'at least do some good,' were the exact words out of her mouth.

Bishop and Sage grew closer together, Sage showing more of herself around other people. She wasn't so hard or rigid anymore. She even got in a paint fight, which was very surprising to everyone. Cannonball and Colossus worked industriously together, which also surprised the others. It was usually Wolverine and Colossus who had a relationship that revolved around working together on projects like this.

Kurt spent some time with Jean and Ororo in the med lab when Scott wasn't around. They talked about religion and of God. They sometimes got into pretty heated discussions. Ororo also worked in her greenhouse, replanting everything that was destroyed especially her wild orchids. Kitty spent most of her time helping Storm instead of helping rebuild the mansion. Jubilee and Iceman fooled around, making rebuilding less stressful and more fun.

Rogue helped out Gambit, who was in a sort of rehabilitation. He was supposed to take it slow and let his wounds heal, but he kept overexerting himself, which would sometimes end up back in the infirmary because he had opened old wounds. Rogue would scold him but she did it because she loved him. Remy knew this and just grinned at her, trying his best to be charming.

Phoenix seemed to be everywhere at once. She spent time with Jean and Scott in the infirmary and when she wasn't doing that she was in the greenhouse with Ororo and Kitty. Being there made her feel better than anywhere else on the mansion grounds. She spent some time with Bishop and Sage and still went on her morning jog with Piotr. Phoenix teased Rogue and Remy every chance she could and even her and Cannonball had some fun repainting. She tried her very best to be somewhere else when she saw Logan around. That's why she was everywhere he wasn't.

Wolverine on the other hand, worked harder than ever on rebuilding the mansion itself. He was probably responsible for over half of the remodeling. He stayed up most of the night as well while Phoenix slept. When she got up for her morning run, he would go down to the sub-levels and catch up on whatever sleep he could. It's not like he could sleep anyway. His dreams were coming back, but this time he was dreaming about that kiss. Logan could remember the look of hurt on her face and how much hurt he felt.

The last two weeks though he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to see her and touch her, even if he had to stare at her from across the grounds to do it. Hearing her voice was enough to send him over the edge. He knew that she had caught on to the sudden change. He would go to sleep with the group now that the mansion was virtually finished and he always seemed to end up where she was, which only caused her to move to a more 'Wolverine-free' area.

The last day that the X-men had together before the students started to return, they had a cookout near the pool. It was fabulous. Everyone was either eating, dancing or swimming. Some of them were doing more than one at a time, like Bobby Drake. He was dancing with Jubilee while he ate his hotdog in one hand and drank his soda from the other. "Can't you just dance with me Drake?" she asked getting a bit annoyed.

Phoenix was lying on one of the lawn chairs, her dark sunglasses covering her eyes. Her hair was pulled back and she had stripped down to her orange bikini. Ororo was sitting next to her, putting suntan lotion on her skin. She was also in a black bikini, ready to sunbathe.

"I really need a tan Ro," Phoenix said poking at her light-skinned stomach. She was lying on her back, one of her knees slightly bent. Her arm went up to temporarily shield her face from the sun.

"I do not need one, but I will join you. The sun always feels so good against my skin," Strom added lying down on her stomach instead. She looked around for a certain wolfish someone before turning her head to look up at Phoenix. "If you don't mind my asking, what is going on with you and Logan? He seems to be acting a bit strange."

Phoenix didn't reply at first, her hand falling to her side. It was playing with the patch of grass at her right. "To tell you the truth, I don't know myself. Can you keep a secret?" she asked turning on her side. Ororo nodded. "That night that we came back from the base in Canada, we kissed." The expression on Storm's face changed. Her eyebrows went up and she smiled, her mouth in the shape of an 'o'. "Except, he said Jean's name."

There was a momentary pause. "Are you all right?"

"Well, seeing as it was about a month ago, I'm doing fine. We've avoided each other at all costs and now he suddenly wants to get back in my life. I know that I should make amends with him because he'll always be in my life if I'm going to be an X-man, but it's kind of hard. I really did like him. Well, what's really sad is I still like him. Can you believe that? I'm almost willing to let him get away with calling me another woman's name," Phoenix sighed rolling over to lie again on her back.

"Phoenix, I do not believe that there are soul mates out there waiting for us to find them. However, I do believe that soul mates are created. You love Logan and that is never going to change. No matter what he did to you, you will always love him," Ororo said resting her head on her hands. "He is a good man, I know. It was hard for him losing something that he loved more than once, and I am not just talking about Jean Grey. Nor am I saying that he has a reason for doing that to you, but maybe you should just consider talking to him about it."

"I hate it when other people are right," Phoenix mumbled. Ororo laughed.

Logan had been helping Scott man the grill when Phoenix suddenly stripped down to her little orange bikini. That almost made him come right there in his pants. Scott seemed to take notice, flipping the burning burger for him. Wolverine growled, flipping the other burgers and hotdogs before they suffered the same fate.

"Just go over there and talk to her. Whatever you did, it can't be that bad," Scott said pulling out more hamburger and hotdog buns from underneath the grill. He reached for the ketchup and mustard, making his own hotdog.

Logan put down his spatula and removed his apron and chef hat that Kitty made him wear. Thank God it wasn't a 'Kiss the Cook' one like Scott's. He walked around with just his swimming trunks on, seeking out Phoenix. She wasn't that hard to find. His eyes had been on her ever since she sat down on the lawn chair with Storm.

If trying to stay away from her was hard these past few weeks, getting up the nerve to actually speak to her was even harder. Logan didn't exactly know how to go about it either, which didn't help his current situation. He stood in front of her, the suns rays being blocked by his broad shoulders. Phoenix lifted herself up on her elbows, not removing her sunglasses. "Did you need something Logan?" she asked nonchalantly.

He could almost hear her heart beat faster. "Can we talk?"

She looked over to Ororo for advice but she didn't like to but in to other people's business. Bishop sudden appeared, blocking the rest of her sunlight. Phoenix had to remove her sunglasses to clearly see the two figures. "Back off Logan."

"What the hell crawled up _your_ ass bub?" Wolverine asked.

"She doesn't want to talk to you. Get. Lost." Bishop emphasized the last two words, pushing Logan back with a weak shove. It was enough to anger the short-tempered Wolverine. He didn't take more than a step back, but he was on Bishop in a second. When shoved, he shoved back.

Ororo raised her head, sitting up properly and wrapping a stray towel around her body. Both her and Phoenix shot each other frightened glances. Sage had joined the little tiff, placing a hand on Bishop's shoulder. "Hey let's get in the pool," she said rather calmingly. "The water's nice."

"He's not good enough for my daughter! Look at the way he treats her!" Bishop shouted, alerting those who hadn't already tuned in on the situation. He pulled his arm back for Sage's grasp. She put her hands on her hips, more angry than anything. She was reverting back to her old ways by shutting people out. Sage stalked off, picking up her robe on the way back to the mansion.

"She's not your daughter!" Logan responded. "Look at her! She's a grown woman!"

"It's like you said before, just because she's from a different dimension doesn't mean that she's not an X-man," Bishop squinted his eyes at Logan's form. "Just because she's from a different dimension doesn't mean she's not my daughter."

Phoenix stood up, with Ororo at her side just in case she had to jump in. "All right that's enough! We're all adults here, and I don't think we need the whole mansion knowing about our business!" she whispered harshly. "Can't we do this somewhere else?"

Bishop and Wolverine exchanged glances. "No."

With that, they charged at each other. Phoenix and Ororo shouted with surprised as the lawn chairs went flying back. Storm caught them easily with her winds so that they wouldn't hit anybody else. Bishop charged up, amplifying his powers. "We're gonna use our powers huh?" Logan asked, popping out each of his claws with ease. "You're definitely going to lose now."

"I don't think so," Bishop replied shooting him with a beam of energy. Logan flew back into the pool with a splash. Phoenix ran to the side to see where he was. It was the deep side of the pool, where Logan wouldn't be tall enough to stand up.

"Logan has a metal skeleton! He can't swim!" Phoenix screamed leaning down to reach for his hand or anything she could get a hold of. He was too deep for her to get. She saw him struggling to reach the top and when he did, he was only getting mouthfuls of water instead of air. "Do something!" Phoenix yelled to her father.

"Stand back, I will!" Storm yelled, her eyes turning white. She flew above them and over the pool. She called upon her winds once more, creating a small whirlwind of air that formed itself around Wolverine. He was gently lowered to the bottom of the pool, in a small circle that was created by Storm's winds. She called upon another to lift him out of the pool but she let him fall to ground with a thud.

"Thanks for the landing Storm," he mumbled.

"It is less than you deserve for starting that fight," she countered.

"And you shouldn't get off Scott-free either!" Phoenix said pointing a finger at her father. The party was ruined, everyone already heading back to the mansion. Phoenix stalked off throwing her hands up in the air.

Storm followed her, shaking her head. "Maybe you two children should stay out here and work things out for yourselves. I am sure that would please Phoenix very much."

…

Back in the sub-levels of the newly built mansion, Beast and the Professor worked nonstop in the lab. Last night, Beast, who usually stayed up late to work on projects anyway, got a reading from one of his new machines. It was something he developed out of the heat of the moment. He figured it wouldn't work, but at least it was an idea that wasn't swimming around in his head anymore.

"Are you sure Henry?" Xavier asked.

"Not completely, but I have never seen readings like this before. Except, when there's going to be a time rip," Beast said a pencil sticking out over his ear and his glasses running down the bridge of his nose.

"Well, we should alert the others. Do you really think that you can contain it here?"

"Again, it is only a theory but I am more than willing to give it a try," Hank replied beginning to set up his machine. Xavier nodded and contacted the others telepathically, telling them to come down to the lower levels.

Phoenix had been walking to her room, mumbling things to herself when she got the call for Xavier. "Men!" She was walking stiffly, taking giant steps. Her back was slightly bent but her eyes were extremely focused. When she got to her room, she opened the door and slammed it shut, throwing her things onto her bed. She stripped out of her bathing suit and put on jeans and a black shirt that had the Phoenix bird drawn colorfully on the front in bright orange and yellow. "You can't live with them…" she said, putting on her black boots and lacing them on the side. "And you can't kill them."

"X-men, gather in the lab please. This is urgent," Xavier's voice rang through her head. He might have said that it was a pressing matter, but he sounded rather calm. She got up and left her room heading to the place he specified.

Once she got there, Scott and Jean were sitting in the leather chairs at Hank's desk and Storm was standing behind them. "Does anyone know what this is about?" Phoenix asked as other people began to enter the lab.

"I think you'll be very interested to hear this," Xavier said, wheeling out from behind Hank's machine. It wasn't large, but there was a platform with two metals poles at either side. Beast was standing at one side, punching in numbers. "It has to do with your traveling from dimension to dimension."

"What do you mean?" she asked in a hurried voice.

"I'll let Henry explain that to you."

"Hank?" she asked, looking at him as Logan and Bishop entered the room. They were still missing Sage. Bishop whispered something to Storm and quietly left the room. He knew that he had messed up by starting that fight with Logan, but he didn't want to mess up the relationship that he had built with Sage over the past couple of months. She was really beginning to open up to him.

"Well Phoenix," Hank said, beginning his explanation, but keeping his eyes fixed on the machine in front of them. He still needed to fix a few bugs in it, but for now it would have to do. "I got a reading last night of unusual energy build-up, which most often happens before a time rip."

"Like the one I came out of," Phoenix stated.

"Precisely. I designed this machine to control that energy build-up and contain it to this platform. That way when the time-rip occurs-"

"People don't come falling out of the sky," Scott finished for him.

"Correct. It's just a prototype so I'm not too sure how things will turn out," Beast said making some final adjustments to whatever his was doing to his little machine. Phoenix's mind raced with possibilities. What if it was someone from her world? What if something bad came out of that time rip? There were so many things that could go wrong…but there were so many things that could go right.

"Do we know when it is going to happen Henry?" Ororo asked, leaning against his desk.

"We can estimate it. I'm sure that you will still feel a bit woozy from any weather changes, but that should give us a definite heads up. I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit frank," he added, touching her arm. He scooted some papers back and sat down on his desk next to Ororo. They all stood there, watching the machine with an intent glare.

"It is all right. I know what you mean."

"So we could be staring at this thing for minutes or hours?" Sam asked.

"Quite right. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." With that, the X-men all made themselves comfortable, unsure of how long this was going to take. But Phoenix's pulse was still racing, along with all the ideas in her head. This could be it, and she wasn't planning on missing this for the world.

An hour into waiting, they started playing card games and talking amongst themselves like they usually would. They were acting like the machine wasn't even there, but in the back of their minds they were still excited about finding out what would come out of the time rip. Suddenly, as if on cue, the machine started to make noise. The X-men barely had time to look up at it before there was a blinding, blue flash oflight. Winds howled around the luminating blue light. Ororo was reacting better this time than the one before.

There was a shrieking noise and then it all abruptly stopped. Some of the X-men were lying on the ground, the playing cards and some chairs scattered around the lab. Scott was holding onto Jean, who was leaning against a desk. Phoenix was rubbing her head, trying to get up from the floor. Beast offered her a hand, which she gladly took.

"Where the hell am I?" a voice asked from behind them. It was coming from the platform of the machine. Phoenix's ear perked up at the sound of the familiar Scottish-accented voice.

She gently pushed Beast out of the way to see the person standing there. "Aidan?" Phoenix asked, hope in the sound of her voice.

"Pip?" the deep voice asked.


	10. The Weight of the News

Part X

"Aidan!" Phoenix yelled, running at fast as she could to gain momentum. She launched herself at him, her arms wrapping securely around his neck. Aidan gripped her waist and spun around as fast as he could. He didn't want to let her go, and he wasn't ever planning on it. Phoenix squeaked with joy as he twirled off the platform.

"Phoenix? I can't believe it's you!" he said, his Scottish accent filling her ears. God how she missed that sound. Even though they never did anything but fight, she really missed the friends that she had left behind.

"How did you get here? I mean, why did you leave? Did something happen? How are my parents?" Phoenix asked in a rushed voice. She didn't even stop to take a breath.

"Calm down girl," he spoke, smiling down at her. "I'll tell you everything." Aidan's smile faded from his face, but something lingered behind. Phoenix couldn't put her finger on it, but it was nagging at her in the back of her mind.

Someone cleared their throat, the sound bringing Phoenix back to the present. She had almost forgotten about her new friends, and that they were all standing around watching the scene play out in front of them. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. Guys, this is a friend of mine. His name is Aidan Alister."

"It's nice to meet you," he called, waving his hand to everyone.

Logan watched him, trying to take in everything he could. Assuming from the way that Aidan still held Phoenix around her waist they were very close friends. Perhaps too close. He had a Scottish accent, and from what Logan knew, none of the X-men were Scottish except maybe that one fellow Banshee. He automatically presumed that Aidan must have joined the X-men at some other time.

While Logan was busy sizing Aidan up, the other X-men had gathered around and started introducing themselves and shaking hands. Once in a while, Aidan would recognize someone from his dimension, like Sage and Bishop.

"Wow, these are your parents Phoenix. When I went through that machine I didn't think that I'd end up seeing a younger version of the X-men," Aidan said, smiling. His hand tightened on Phoenix's hip, his fingers digging into her flesh.

"And why _did_ you go through the machine?" Logan asked, walking up to meet him.

"You must be Logan. I'd recognize that tone anywhere," Aidan replied, sticking out his hand. Logan growled, his hands remaining in his pockets. There was something about the guy that made him uneasy. It felt like someone was intruding on his territory. The Wolverine was becoming possessive not only of Phoenix but of everyone and everything else that was around them.

Aidan smirked and stared Wolverine down. His was almost the same height, so meeting his glaze wasn't any problem at all. "No need to get all riled up Wolverine," he whispered, his eyes quickly changing from their normal brown color to a feral yellow.

With that, Wolverine popped his claws, the six of them easily coming out of his knuckles. Phoenix stepped in between them, shaking her head. "Stop it Aidan," she commanded. He laughed, his eyes changing back to their normal state.

"That's an unusual power," Beast noted.

Phoenix turned her head, her body still between them. She looked up at Aidan and narrowed her eyes. He gave her a smirk, which softened her gaze. She giggled and looked back at Beast. "His DNA is mixed with animal DNA. So technically, he really is part animal," she laughed, looking at Storm and Jean. The rest of them shook it off as an inside joke between the girls.

"I've got heightened senses and reflexes. I can also lift a pretty heavy load," he teased, picking up Phoenix who squealed in protest. When he put her down, she hit him as hard as she could across the arm. He just laughed, holding the place where she hit him, acting as though it really did hurt. "That's why we're a lot alike, you and I. We're one of a kind," Aidan said looking over at Logan.

"No. We're not," Wolverine said taking a step closer. "You'll never be what I am," he whispered slowly releasing one of his claws. Everyone watched intently, but just a fast as in happened, it ended. Logan returned his claw into his hand and left the room.

"We'll get this mess cleaned up. Why don't you show Aidan to a guest room Phoenix," Professor Xavier said helping Beast clean up his lab. She nodded and took his arm, leading him to the elevators.

While walking up to the second floor, all Aidan and Phoenix did was talk about old times and what was happening back in their dimension. They laughed but Phoenix still had a feeling that something was wrong. Aidan was holding back, he wasn't telling her something. Her intuition told her it was something important.

She opened one of the spare room doors and walked in. It was slightly smaller than her room and it didn't have a balcony. She held out her arms and spun around, still smiling at him. "What do you think? A lot better than what we used to have right?" she teased.

"Hell of a lot better," he responded. He sat down on the bed, staring up at Phoenix.

Phoenix got down on her knees, sitting between Aidan's legs. The act didn't surprise him at all; he just kept watching her. She reached for his hands and held them in her own. "Are you going to tell me what you're keeping from me, or do I have to beat it out of you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Phoenix knew she'd lose hands down.

Aidan closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's bad Pip. Real bad." He didn't have to say anything else; Phoenix already knew what he was talking about. There was a long pause when she suddenly heard him take a breath. She still didn't have the courage to look him in the eye. "After you left, I'd realized that I-"

"Aidan," she said causing him to falter. Phoenix turned her head away from him, preferring to stare at the carpeted floor. "Tell me about the others," she stated in a firmer voice, wanting to change the subject.

"I know that Cyclops and Storm were taken to some base in Canada. Logan went after them, but he hasn't returned. It's been three weeks Phoenix." She closed her eyes tightly, her face still turned away. "Something else happened. You're father, he…" Aidan stopped, his voice cracking. Not able to stand it any longer, he turned Phoenix's face up towards him. "Look at me," he said softly, his accent evident in that soft plea. "He died."

Her eyes went wide and her skin color immediately dropped to a paler tone. Phoenix's breathing became erratic as she held Aidan's gaze. She started to shake her head, her tears spilling over and running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," Aidan whispered, but she didn't hear him. Phoenix kept thinking that _she_ should have been there to help, to make sure that her father didn't die.

"Oh God," she sobbed, reaching up and wrapping her arms around Aidan's neck. He held her tight and close to his body. Phoenix was shaking so bad and she couldn't catch her breath. It took a few minutes but she regained her composure. "What about my mother?"

"She's doing better. It was only a couple of days before I left," Aidan added. Suddenly remembering something, he gripped Phoenix's shoulders. "The day that I left, something happened. When I was in that machine that Forge built, these men came and tried to shoot at me but instead they hit the console."

"What are you saying?"

"No one else is leaving our world Phoenix. I'm pretty sure it was destroyed right after I left our dimension. That also means that we can't get back there," Aidan said talking slower than usual to make sure that she was able to soak in the information.

"You wanna go back there?" Phoenix asked, her voice husky.

"Don't you?"

"Aidan, why did you go get into the machine if you wanted to stay there?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. She was squinting her eyes and shaking her head at him. Phoenix was still getting a feeling that something didn't fit. As much as she loved her old friend, he was only confusing her more and she was beginning to doubt her trust in him.

"I was afraid, I didn't know what else to do. I knew that you went through that machine and…and so I followed you. And now that I've found you-"

"So you were after me?" Phoenix questioned.

"I never thought I'd see you again Phoenix and now that I have you," he paused, letting go of her. Aidan reached up and brushed a piece of stray hair out of her face, lingering to touch her cheek. "I don't want to let you go. We could go back to our home. This may look a lot like it but it's not our home Pip. We could set things right."

Phoenix shook her head, her eyes falling to look at the floor again. "My mother sent me here for a reason Aidan, I can't." She started to cry again. "But oh how I'd love to see everyone again! And my father…"

"Phoenix let's do it."

She watched Aidan intently. It had been less than a couple of hours, but he'd already managed to flip her world upside down,and made her think about her old one. Phoenix nodded. "All right."


	11. All I Ask of You

Part XI

Once Phoenix told everyone of her plans, their mouths practically dropped to the floor. She'd rendered them speechless…yet again. Most of them had to sit down, unable to really answer her. They figured that this man who had come through the time rip only a day ago had put the crazy idea into her head.

"What do you mean you're going back?" Sage asked. It was the first time that they had heard her raise her voice since Phoenix had first arrived. Sage had never really acknowledged the fact that Phoenix was her daughter, unlike her ex-cop friend, but now that she was willing to go back to that hellhole she had told them about, Sage was going to put her foot down.

Bishop nodded. He agreed with Sage. After having patched up things up between them though, it seemed like they agreed on everything. Jean thought it was cute.

"Aidan and I talked it over and we think that we should go back to our own dimension. I know that you all don't understand but it's something that I have to do," Phoenix explained, tucking a piece of ebony hair behind her ear. She was nervous.

"Why?" Logan asked. They didn't really spoken much, but he felt that if she had to leave, he deserved to know. He wasn't about to stop her because God knows how many times he left the mansion unexplained, but he was going to do all that he could to convince her that she was needed in this time as well.

Phoenix looked away. His voice was till able to send chills down her spine and goosebumps across her flesh. "My-my father died Logan. I have to go back."

Jean's gasped along with almost everyone else. Aidan stepped closer and touched Phoenix's arm. Beast walked over and hugged her close. "I'll call Forge. I'm sure he'll be able to think of something," he said leaving the room.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Forge came a week later without hesitation. Xavier told him everything that he needed to know, excluding the parts about Sage and Bishop having a child, and Forge went to work. It didn't take him that long to think up some elaborate plan with blueprints and formulas. The professor helped where he could but some things were only things that scientists could understand. Beast was there, his eyes shining bright. He understood.

Sage and Bishop spent as much as they could with Phoenix. They knew why she had to leave, but they were disappointed to find out that it was going to be so soon.

"You know kid, I have to admit that I'll miss you," Bishop said hugging his daughter. "I kind of got used to having you around. I kind of got used to thinking of you as my daughter," he whispered the last part, kissing the top of her head. That made Phoenix smile; her real father used to do that too. But then again, they were the same person.

Sage smiled too. She took off her glasses, her blue eyes shining in the sunlight. "You know I haven't been as welcoming as Bishop but I want you to know that I do think of you as my daughter Phoenix. I always will," she said hugging her. "Maybe one day I'll have a little Phoenix of my own," she whispered, letting her go. Putting her red glasses back on, Sage walked back up to the mansion but not before she touched Bishop's shoulder who still had his head cast down.

That afternoon, Phoenix spent most of her time shopping with the girls and playing a game of foosball with Piotr for old times sake. She smiled all day long.

Phoenix was cleaning up the delicious dinner they had just finished, placing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher while she sent the others into the living room to watch a late night movie. She could hear them from the kitchen, laughing and talking. When Phoenix turned around to get the rest of the things off of the table, she ran into something hard. She knew who it was before she even looked up. It was Logan.

"Need some help darlin'?" he asked in a casual way.

Phoenix hadn't heard him say that in a long time. "Yes, please." Deciding to make the best of her time here, she figured that she should just make peace with Logan.

"So you're really goin' huh?" he asked putting the food away in the refrigerator. Phoenix nodded. She didn't know what else to say or do. "Listen Phoenix, I've been meanin' to talk to you about something," Logan said resting his arms on the refrigerator door.

Phoenix busied herself with her with putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. She closed the door, after putting soap in the right compartment, and started it. "You're going to spoil the food," she pointed out. Logan quickly closed the door and instead walked towards her. "Logan, please, you know why I'm doing this."

Phoenix had her eyes closed and started rubbing her temples. Logan took this as his chance to advance on her. He quickly closed the gap between them, trapping her between the kitchen counter and his hard body. He tilted her head up to him so that she was staring into his eyes. Phoenix gasped. "I know why you're going back, but there are also reasons for you to stay _here_. You're looking at one of them. You know that Kaitlyn's also formed a certain bond with ya and she'd be very sad ta see you go."

Phoenix diverted her eyes, looking past Logan's shoulders. She'd almost forgotten about Kaitlyn, the little girl she saved the night when the mansion was attacked. Logan knew he was talking some sense into her. "I know that you have a family in another dimension, but you've also got one here. You can't help one without abandoning the other."

"What are you saying?"

Logan grinned down at her, their gaze unfaltering. "Remember that night when you first came here? You asked me if I wanted you to stay at the mansion." Phoenix was surprised that he still remembered that. It was months ago. "I want you to stay."

Phoenix began to shake. Logan suddenly pulled away from her, leaving her standing there, gripping the counter to make sure that she didn't fall because her knees were so weak. Logan stuffed his hands in the pockets of his worn leather jacket as Aidan walked into the kitchen. Phoenix realized that he'd heard him coming. "I came to see if you needed help," Aidan said, eyeing Wolverine.

"No thanks. I've just finished. I was about to join you and the others in the living room," Phoenix explained. She looked towards Logan, desperation apparent in her gray eyes. She hoped Aidan didn't pick up on it. "Will you come with us?"

"No, gotta do some things. Go ahead," Logan said exiting the kitchen like he usually did.

Aidan put his arms around Phoenix's back, guiding her to the living room. He suddenly caught a glimpse of the shining moon through the small kitchen window. "Would you look at that?" he asked. Phoenix smiled remembering the first time she actually noticed the moon as well. "C'mon let's go see it outside. I'm sure we could get a better view."

Before she knew it, Phoenix was being dragged from the warm kitchen to the nippy outdoors. She wasn't wearing a jacket, her long-sleeved shirt and jeans the only things keeping her warm. Those and Aidan. They walked around the grounds, through the plush green grass and the tall trees. Things had grown back wonderfully since the attack on the mansion. Aidan kept watching the full moon until they came to a small clearing where there was a little pond with lily pads.

Unfortunately for Logan, it was right below his terrace.

Aidan slipped behind Phoenix, wrapping his arms around her waist. Logan strained his ears to listen to what they were saying. He was trying to be extra careful, especially with someone like Aidan who practically had the same mutant powers as him.

"Isn't this place wonderful?" Phoenix asked, her soft voice cutting through the silence.

"Having doubts Pip?" Aidan asked, one of his hands straying from her waist. Phoenix gasped as she figured out what he was doing. Aidan's hand was moving down her waist, lingering on her jean-clad hip. It moved to her front, his hand splayed out. It covered her lower abdomen before following the path up her stomach again. Phoenix let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Aidan don't."

"What's wrong? You know you want it," Aidan answered moving his head down and placing his warm lips on the part of her shoulder that was exposed. He started kissing his way up her neck, the light touches of his lips against her skin sending small tremors throughout her body…but it was nothing compared to what Logan did to her without even touching her. Speaking of Logan, he waited on his balcony, his claws itching to come out. He couldn't believe that this guy Aidan was trying to seduce Phoenix right before his eyes. Or maybe that's what he wanted to do.

"Stop, please. Aidan," Phoenix exclaimed, her voice drifting off. Her eyes slowly closed, her body responding to his persistent touch. Suddenly coming to her senses she pushed away from Aidan and turned around, her hair whipping around her.

"What's the matter? Nervous?"

"Aidan I love you," Phoenix said touching his arm. She recoiled though and backed away, trying not to give him the wrong idea. "But I'm not _in_ love with you."

"It's Logan isn't it?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "What are you thinking? In our time-"

"We're not in our time Aidan," Phoenix said, raising her voice for the first time in his presence. "I'm not going back. I have a family here too, and I can't leave them either. My mother sent me here for a reason Aidan. To have a better life than she did, I'm just doing what she asked. Returning there would only cause her to suffer more."

"I can't believe this. You're going to back out now?" Aidan stormed off, not returning to the mansion but instead walking in the opposite direction.

"Aidan! Aidan wait!" Phoenix called. He didn't stop at the sound of her voice.

Logan watched from his corner on the balcony. So Phoenix didn't love him. Then who did she love? Turning back inside his room, he closed the doors to the terrace without a sound, leaving Phoenix alone on the mansion grounds.

_No more talk of darkness_

_Forget these wide-eyed fears_

_I'm here, nothing can harm you_

_My words will warm and calm you_

She turned her head up to look at the gigantic mansion standing before her. Phoenix then turned her head away to look in the direction that Aidan had left. She made up her mind about leaving, and she made sure that Aidan knew it. Now, the only thoughts that were running through her head were ones of Logan. She had to tell him. Even though she wasn't going to leave anymore, she had to let him know the way she felt about him. Turning her head back up to look at the mansion, she smiled.

_Let me be your freedom_

_Let daylight dry your tears_

_I'm here, with you, beside you_

_To guard you and to guide you_

Phoenix ran back inside the mansion, through the kitchen. She was out of breath but she was determined to find what she was looking for. "Logan!" she called into the air. Some people in the living room looked up, one of the popcorn bowls hitting the floor with a soft thud. Jean shook her head, placing her hand on Scott's arm.

_Say you'll love me every waking moment_

_Turn my head with talk of summertime_

_Say you need me with you now and always_

_Promise me that all you say is true_

_That's all I ask of you_

Phoenix knew he wasn't in the living room. She bounded up the stairs, trying to take in two or three at a time. Her heart was racing, her blood pounding in her ears. She couldn't hear anything except her own heartbeat, and with each passing second, she was becoming more and more anxious. Phoenix had to stop and hold onto the wall for the fear of falling because her legs were giving out on her. "Logan," she whispered to herself.

_Let me be your shelter_

_Let me be your light_

_You're safe, no one will find you_

_Your fears are far behind you_

Starting her journey again, Phoenix turned down the hall towards the dorm rooms. "Logan!" she called eagerly. Many of the students in that wing were opening their doors to see what all the commotion was about. Jubilee was standing there in her pajamas, her hair all disheveled. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what was going on. Phoenix looked from side to side as more of the students came out of their dorm rooms. It was then that she saw Logan standing at the end of the hallway; only a pair of sweat pants lingering on his hips, the drawstring the only thing holding them there. Phoenix smiled.

_All I want is freedom_

_A world with no more night_

_And you, always beside me_

_To hold me and to hide me_

Taking off at super speed, Phoenix ran down the hallway, all the students watching with strange looks on their faces. Logan stood still but his legs were longing to move, to run and meet Phoenix as she sped towards him. His pride made him stay planted to the floor where he stood. Launching herself at Logan, Phoenix gripped at his neck, her legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist. He wasn't protesting as his arms wound around her body, his hands coming to cradle her head to his shoulder.

_Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_

_Let me lead you from your solitude_

_Say you need me with you here, beside you_

_Anywhere you go let me go too_

_That's all I ask of you_

Not able to wait any longer, Phoenix moved. She wiggled out of his grasp, her legs still wrapped securely around his waist. She took Logan's head in her hands and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. Air wasn't a priority this time as she held his bottom lip between her teeth. She opened her eyes and stared at him with a sultry look in her now smoky, gray eyes. Phoenix almost grinned as she gently nipped at his lip. Logan couldn't take the teasing anymore and crushed her back to him, demanding entrance like the first time they had kissed. Phoenix gladly obliged.

_Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_

_Say the word and I will follow you_

_Share each day with me, each night, each morning_

Finally out of breath, Phoenix broke the kiss, resting her forehead against Logan's. He was breathing hard, his eyes still closed. Phoenix licked her lips before moving her mouth to Logan's ear to suck and nip lightly at his earlobe. "I don't care," she whispered in a rushed voice. Logan opened his eyes abruptly, his senses tuning into hers. "I don't care," Phoenix repeated again. "I'll take you any way that I can."

Logan knew what she was talking about. Pulling her head back to look him in the face, Logan stared at Phoenix his eyes running over every one of her features. Neither of them realized the audience that had gathered. "I don't think of you as Jean, Phoenix. I never will. I don't love Jean anymore," he whispered back. "I lo-"

Phoenix put her delicate finger to his lips. "Don't," she replied smiling. "I already know."

_Say you love me_

_You know I do_

After sharing another quick kiss, Phoenix turned her head to look around at the students watching them. Jubilee started clapping and yelling, throwing her hands up in the air. Some of the others joined her cheering. "Guess we had an audience," Logan muttered, Phoenix laughing in his arms. "Now get to bed, all of you!" he growled sending most of the children running back into their rooms. The older students sighed. Their little confession of love would keep them dreaming about romance all night long.

_Love me, that's all I ask of you_

_Anywhere you go, let me go too_

Phoenix grinned, wrapping her arms around Logan's neck. "So now what are we supposed to do?" she asked, raising her eyebrows up and down. Logan just laughed, throwing his head back. Not responding to her little invitation, he opened the door to his room and strutted inside, slamming the door shut with his foot.

_Love me, that's all I ask of you_

* * *

_"All I Ask of You"- Taken from_ The Phantom of the Opera 


End file.
